Street-level bureaucracy and family group decision making in the USA

Since its official recognition in New Zealand law in 1989, family group decision making (FGDM) has been utilized by a growing number of child welfare workers throughout the world. In the USA, social workers in 35 states utilize FGDM. The seeming popularity of the practice, however, belies its complex position in American child welfare policy. This brief analytic essay examines this position by focusing on the relationship between street-level bureaucracy and FGDM. Specifically, it describes the role of street-level bureaucracy in FGDM's diffusion throughout the USA during a time of considerable policy skepticism towards family support, and it explains the dilution of the FGDM model through use of street-level bureaucracy theory. The essay concludes by raising important policy questions concerning the use and replication of FGDM in the USA.