In deciding how your force should connect with police families it is important that you hear their voice and listen to their concerns. The research undertaken by Oscar Kilo with the Open University indicated police families wanted a much closer relationship with forces.
The creation of a family panel could deliver a range of benefits including: insight into the lives of policing families and the things they want to change, opportunities to engage and also a body of potential volunteers to deliver family centred activities.
A panel would operate differently to a network as the force would develop the terms of reference and have a role in leading it.