Welcome - European Network on Family Group Conference

Navigation between two cultures

“I will describe a family group conference held in a family of Pakistani background involving a young girl. She was 16 when we initiated the conference process, and she is now approaching 18. 

This case begins with significant concern: a young girl who climbs out of the window at night, and where the level of conflict escalates due to the parents’ worries and the family’s very different understandings of what is ‘right’ and safe in everyday life. 

The father, who grew up in Denmark, knows youth culture from the inside and responds based on his assessment of what the girl needs. The mother, who arrived through family reunification and has a more traditional outlook, later turns out to have mental health challenges. Her worries and strain affect communication within the family in ways that place additional pressure on the girl. 

The girl expresses statements clearly indicating negative social control and cultural cross‑pressure. At one point, the father becomes very concrete in his wish for the girl to be placed outside the home, while the municipality assesses that the primary need is to work purposefully with the relationship and the family’s cooperation to create a safe framework around the girl and reduce conflicts. 

Work is carried out over a period focusing on the relationship, but the development nevertheless results in a placement. The placement is combined with a continued focus on ensuring that the girl is not excluded from her wider family. She is given a form of supported independent living in the municipality with staff support and an assigned contact person. The contact person who was involved before the placement remains attached. Along the way, adjustments are made to the contact person’s professional approach to avoid explaining challenges solely through culture or religion. Work includes supporting the girl in understanding why she feels less valued than her cousins, and she herself points to this as a possible source of her low self‑esteem. 

After approximately six months, during which the girl spends several weekends at home and participates in family gatherings, a return home is planned through a family group conference. The return is carried out with a concrete family plan describing how to prevent the same pattern from repeating with the younger sister. The family also agrees on ‘breaks’ from each other as a structured safety measure if the pressure becomes too high. Participants in the conference include the uncle, aunt, younger sister, parents, and the girl. 

Today, the girl is attending the second year of upper secondary school (HF). She has a part‑time job and is thriving better, partly because she can navigate between two cultures to a greater extent, and partly because the family has gained tools to manage disagreements. The parents express that they are very pleased with the process and with the development that has taken place.“

From a municipal social worker

A story from Denmark