Animated film highlights work to support young people and families

Date:   15/11/11

The voices and real stories of young people are featured in a new animated film - highlighting how family problems can be stopped from turning into a crisis.

The short docu-drama features the stories of local young people experiencing difficulties at home, at school and in the community. It shows how social care and other professionals helped bring about positive changes for them and those around them.

The process known as ‘family group conferencing’ is the main topic of the film, called ‘Why I had an FGC – a short animated DVD’. It was made by Camden Council’s family group conference service in collaboration with documentary film-maker Suzanne Cohen and a group of volunteer animation students from London Metropolitan University.

The DVD, which can also be seen online at camden.gov.uk/fgc, introduces family group conferences to older young people, describing how their lives could be improved.

Director Suzanne Cohen said: “We used the voices of real young people with animated characters to explain the benefits of family group conferencing to other young people. We had some really talented student volunteers working with us to help make the project a success.”

Councillor Larraine Revah, Camden Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families, said: “This was a really creative and innovative project to explain how a simple intervention can make such a difference to the lives of young people and their families, helping prevent problems from reaching a crisis point. Thank you to all those who took part in this project.”

FGCs can help families, social care professionals and schools to address concerns around children and young people’s behaviour, attendance at school and involvement in antisocial behaviour, which could lead them into more serious trouble.

There are three kinds of FGCs in Camden – welfare, restorative justice and schools FGCs. They are available for any child or young person including unborn children.

Notes to editors:

- An FGC is a collaborative process with the family, social workers, a child’s school and other relevant people. FGCs enable families to devise a plan, with the support of their social worker, school and any other relevant agencies, to help the young person address any difficulties which have been identified.
- The DVD is available for other local authorities, schools, professionals or families to buy through the Family Rights Group at http://www.frg.org.uk/online-shop- For more details visit camden.gov.uk/fgc

Ref Code:   PR 1525
Contact:
    

pressoffice@camden.gov.uk