Francesca Maci

Participation is an issue widely discussed in social work. In particular, this aspect has a relevant importance in child protection where the involvement of actors in the decision-making process, that affect their life, is fundamental to build effective and sustainable help intervention...

The involvement of patients and families in the definition of care plan is not only a right, but also an essential element to ensure health protection. For mental health practitioners it could be really difficult to work consistently with the theoretical framework of participation. The Family Group Conference model, originated in New Zealand in the end of ’80s and internationally widespread, can be an effective way of working to involve the patient, his/her family and the other significant relationship. During a sequence of meetings, families, in collaboration with professionals, work to define a common health care plan. This is the result of a dialogical exchange between technical and experiential knowledge. The paper, after presenting the model in its general features, offers an analysis of the same within the specific context of mental health.