What we do

RK centrum (FGC centre) is the biggest organiser of FGC´s in the Czech Republic (active in 4 out of the 14 regions). The Centre for Support, Development and Promotion of Family Group Conferences (FGC) was established in January 2017 as part of a joint project of Amalthea (organisation providing social services for families and children) and energeia (generates eco-friendly electricity from small water plant to raise funds for social and educational activities and implements the projects at the same time). 

RK centrum follows up on the work of the FGC team (formerly under Amalthea), which started promoting the idea of introducing FGC in the Czech Republic in April 2013.

The mission of RK centrum is to enable families, by means of FGC, to resolve difficult situations of their children by themselves. We advance and disseminate the idea of this approach among the general public (by means of discussion sessions, lectures, educational seminars, expert conferences, methodological meetings for all FGC fans.

Our target group are families with children up to 18 years of age (including unborn children), as well as dependant children up to 26 who are not gainfully employed.

We have registered increased demand for family group conferences in 2019. They are mostly requested by OSPODs (governmental institution: Social and Legal Child Protection Authority).  In about one half of the cases, the initiative is of a non-profit organisation that provides a service for the family. OSPODs register families that deal with endangered children, not pursuing prevention so much. Demand for FGC frequently arises the moment a child is seized from its biological family, located in temporary foster care or in institutional care. The most common issue handled by FGC is how to ensure care of the child in the broader family or how to safeguard its safety and stable environment, or at least how to assure children’s contact with the biological family. 

Our effort is to spread FGC as a preventive tool because we have registered increased demand for FGC mostly requested by Social and Legal Child Protection Authority as a solution to long-term crisis situations (right of first choise X right of last choise). Our objective is to raise awareness of FGC among school personnel).

Our team: 2 employees at the Centre (1 manager, 1 coordinator – organize about 8 FGC´s a year) and 21 independent coordinators trained in November 2018/January 2019 and January 2020, they have an employment agreement for 1 year, our vision is that each of them will organise 2 - 4 FGC´s a year.

Support for our coordinators: consultations with the administrator, 4 meetings annually for all the trained coordinators (the meeting agenda includes sharing family stories, methodological support and informal sharing), participation in an external supervision for coordinators preparing FGC, irregular offers for various training courses, most frequently on topics of respecting communication.

Evaluation: We established a collaboration with a Czech university in April 2019. We were involved in the production of the evaluation questionnaires. The university is continuosly evaluating FGC benefits nationally for the CR. It makes use of questionnaires collected from FGC´s and then, 3-4 months later, conduct interviews with family members who have experienced FGC.

Czech Restorative practice is realised by the Probation and Mediation Servise (under Ministry of the Interior). The actual project "On the Right Path! II" focuses on developing and implementing innovative ways of dealing with juvenile delinquency (including Restorative Conferences).

FGC in the Czech social work: FGC practise is consistent with a new conception of Family policy respecting the autonomy and ability of families to make their own decisions. Family policy is therefore focused on supporting families in the exercise of their natural functions, not on taking on these roles and interfering with the inner life of families.
In spite of this fact we are aware that FGC´s advancement will require a change of mindset not only in the social care sphere but across the society.

There is not a functional organisation covering FGC providers in the Czech Republic. We cooperate with other organisations that attempt to organise FGC in other regions but face low demand and financial obstacles.

The best FGC promotion is sharing our Family Stories!

Positive feedback from experts and, most importantly, from the families and children continue to convince us that we have set out in the right direct.