On 19 April 2022, eleven members of ATD Fourth World were welcomed to the London Borough of Camden Council by: expert-by-experience Kevin Makwikila; Tim Fisher, a Family Group Conference Service Manager; and Faye Hamilton, a Family Group Conference Coordinator. They are part of the FAB, a citizen-led Family Advisory Board.

Among the ATD guests were our International Leadership Team and local parent activists: Patricia Bailey, Amanda Button, Nikki Hewson and Lareine Mouoguia. The conversation, about “Poverty Awareness, Advocacy and the Role of Lived Experience” included the following highlights:

• “I got involved as a parent advocate because there are huge cataclysmic problems in the system. Every unsubstantiated intervention leaves a residue of trauma.”
• “I became a full-circle volunteer because I want to give back. Families deserve the support they need in order to thrive.”
• “Now that we run family-led child protection inquiries, the power dynamics have evaporated.”
• “It’s enriched my life to speak up and speak out. The training I got has cemented what I learned from lived experience.”
• “It’s amazing to have other people who spot talent in you and push you. Then you become an activist on fire who will push and push for change.”

At this link, you can hear Faye and others explain Family Group Conferences.