Should family group conferencing be assessed as a child and family rights participatory model or as an intervention Method? – A comprehensive quantitative Danish study measuring and discussing effects on both Dimensions

Since the development of family group conferencing (FGC) in New Zealand, there has been ongoing debates on the model’s short-term and long-term effectiveness and how this should be measured. In general, family group conferencing can be approached as either a rights-based participatory approach or as an intervention method, akin to other social methodologies. This distinction leads to different criteria for assessment. In Denmark, a large-scale quantitative mixed methods study (N = 6286 participants in 1156 FGCs) was conducted in the period from 2014 to 2020 to examine the effects of both a rights-based and an intervention approach in the short-term and long-term and to discuss their interrelation. The findings indicate that family group conferencing scores highly in terms of both participatory effectiveness and intervention effectiveness. However, only the rights aspect is sustainable independently, but both dimensions can be measured and have importance. Furthermore, the interplay between these approaches provides unique insights into the participation of children and the extended family, and how it effects their hope and well-being in the short term. The research can hopefully contribute to the debate on how to assess FGC with an easily transferable model and in-depth empirical knowledge.