Signs of Safety
2 Day Training
Programme
• Best Hopes/Objectives
• The ‘Signs of Safety Assessment &
Planning Framework’
• A Little History: the creation & evolution of
the approach
• An Interactive Demonstration of the
Framework
• Practicing ‘Mapping’ in groups of 3
• ‘Safety Planning’ in brief
• Involving Children with ‘The Three Houses’
& the ‘Safety House’
• Using the ‘Words & Pictures Explanations’
Best Hopes
• Provide a comprehensive introduction to the
thinking and practice skills of the Signs of
Safety approach to child protection work so
that you can immediately begin to use it in
your own practice (including supervisors).
Best Hopes
 Equip participants to use the Signs of Safety
risk assessment protocol collaboratively
with families and other professionals in
Child Protection Conferences and elsewhere

Ground all the training in actual case
material including local cases – via a live
‘mapping’ demonstration & group work.
Best Hopes
 Introduce the tools for involving children
and young people in child protection
assessment and planning.
 Share solution-focused, safety-organised
interviewing and questioning skills to use
with parents, children & professionals.
Best Hopes
• Provide a brief introduction to methods for
building rigorous, sustainable safety plans
with the family that address the child
protection concerns.
Reading About Signs of Safety
• Signs of Safety 1999, Andrew Turnell & Steve
Edwards, WW Norton, New York
• Signs of Safety Comprehensive Briefing Paper,
2012, Andrew Turnell, Resolutions
Consultancy
• Working with Denied Child Abuse – The
Resolutions Approach 2006, Andrew Turnell &
Susie Essex,Open University Press,
Buckingham
Experiencing The Framework
Thinking about a child/teenager in your life that you feel a worried about:
What are you Worried About?
What’s Working Well?
STEP ONE: START HERE, BACK AND FORWARDS
What has happened, what have What do you like about ___ what
you seen, that makes you
are his/her best attributes?
worried about this
Who are the people that care
child/teenager?
most about ___? What are the
What words would use to talk
about this problem so that ____ best things about how they care
for ____?
would understand what you’re
worried about?
What would ___ say are the best
things about his/her life?
When you think about what has
already happened to ____ what Who would ___ say are the most
important people in his/her life?
do you think is the worst thing
How do they help ___ grow up
that could happen to ____
well?
because of this problem?
HARM
Existing
Strengths
DANGER
Existing
Safety
What Needs to Happen?
STEP THREE
Having thought more about
this problem now, what
would you need to see that
would make you satisfied
the situation is at a 10?
FUTURE
SAFETY
What would ___ need to
see that would make them
say this problem is
completely sorted out?
What do you think is the
next step that should
happen to get this worry
sorted out?
Next Steps
Complicatin
g
Factors
On a scale
of 0 to 10 where 10 means this problem is sorted out as much as it can be and zero means things
Are their things happening in
____’s life or family that make
this problem harder to deal
with?
Has there been times when this
problem has been dealt with or
was even a little better? How did
that happen?
Animations Off
are so bad for the young person you need to get professional or other outside help, where do you rate this
situation today? (Put different judgment numbers on scale for different people e.g., you, child, teacher etc).
0
STEP TWO: JUDGEMENT
10
Signs of Safety Assessment and Planning Form
What are we Worried About?
Past Harm to Children
Whats Working Well?
Existing Strengths
Action/Behaviour – who, what,
where, when; Severity; Incidence &
Impact
What Needs to Happen?
SafetyGoals:
Future Safety/Protection
What must the caregivers be
doing in their care of the child
that addresses the future
danger?
Existing Safety/Protection
Danger Statements: Future
Danger for Children
The Strengths demonstrated as
protection over time.
Worries for the future if nothing
changes.
Must directly relate to danger.
Family Goals: What does
the family want generally and
in relation to safety?
Complicating Factors
Factors which make the situation
more difficult to resolve.
Next Steps
What are the next steps to be
taken to move towards
achieving the goal?
Safety Scale
: On a scale of 0 to 10 where 10 means everyone knows the children are safe enough for the child protection authorities to close the case and zero
means things are so bad for the children they can’t live at home, where do we rate this situation? (If different judgements place different people’s number on the continuum).
0
10
What is the Signs of Safety Approach?
Constructed around a comprehensive risk assessment framework that involves
everyone in the assessment (families and professionals) and that incorporates
harm, danger, complicating factors, strengths and safety.
Involves building
relationships with
all stakeholders
that are focused
on safety for
children.
A Questioning not
an expert approach
Signsof Safety Assessment and PlanningForm
What areweWorried About?
Past Harm to Children
What’s Working Well?
Existing Strengths
Action/ Behaviour – who, what, where,
when; Severity; Incidence& Impact
What Needs to Happen?
FutureSafety/ Protection
What must thecaregivers bedoingin
their careof thechild that addresses
thefuturedanger?
What does thefamily want
FutureDanger for Children
Worries for thefutureis nothing
changes.
Existing Safety/ Protection generally and in relation tosafety?
TheStrengths demonstrated as
protection over time.
Informed by
Core & Practice
Principles and
Practice Elements
From research and from
what workers and
families say is good
practice!
Must directly relateto danger.
Complicating Factors
Practiced from a
Stance of Humility
about what we think
we know
Factors which makethesituation
moredifficult to resolve.
Next Steps
What arethenext steps to betaken
to movetowards achievingthegoal?
Safety Scale: On a scaleof 0 to10 where10 meanseveryoneknowsthechildren aresafeenough for thechild protection authoritiestoclosethecaseand zeromeansthingsaresobad
for thechildren they can’t liveat home, wheredo weratethis situation? (If different judgements placedifferent people’s number on thecontinuum).
0
10
Supported by a
Skill Base
SFBT questioning
Safety Planning
Engaging Children
Skillful Use of Authority
Focused above all on BUILDING ENOUGH SAFETY to close the case.
Good Performance - Human Needs
Empowerment
Initiative
Choice
Frustration
Resentment
High morale
Motivators
Respect
& Appreciation
Confidence
Enthusiasm
Communication &
Clear objectives
Low morale
Absenteism
Anxiety
Confusion
Adapted from Human Needs at Work, University of Nottingham
Partnership in practice – the social
discipline window
(Wachtel & McCold)
Control (limit-setting, discipline)
High
Low
TO
WITH
Punitive
Restorative
Neglectful
NOT
Permissive
FOR
Support (encouragement, nurture)
High
A little History
• Andrew Turnell & Steve Edwards Collaboration
1993.
• Interested in how SFBT fitted with Child
Protection Work.
• 150 Practitioners
A Little History
• What they did was created safety through
partnership & collaboration:
•
•
•
Partnerships with parents/carers;
Collaboration between
agencies/professionals; &
Worked with practitioners to develop the
model
A Little History
• What the practitioners asked for:
 Capture & balance the concerns and
strengths so as to make judgements on
balanced information.
 Doesn’t just tell us what we already know
but provides guidance about what to do
about the problem.
A Little History
• The team leaders & managers wanted an
approach that:
 would increase the confidence of CP
workers in their own practice;
 Would help workers get unstuck in difficult
and protracted cases; and
 Minimal paperwork.
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A Little History
• “If workers use the ideas they are in the
model.
• If workers don't, they’re in the bin!”
• Steve Edwards
What makes a difference?
The most important factor in making a
difference in the lives of vulnerable children in
open child protection cases is relationships
Realtionships between family and professionals
(partnership) and relationships between
professionals themselves (collaboration)
Review of what works in family support
interventions
% of Variance in Outcome Explained
15%
30%
15%
Therapeutic
Technique
Client Hopefulness
Client Characteristics
& Social Support
Relationship between
client and therapist
40%
WHY? (Dublin, 2000)
Kieran McKeowan
Summary of the Tool
•It is a QUESTIONING approach
•Keeps the child at the centre – Impact
•Designed to be used with young people
and their families
•Highlights what is already working well
Practice Principles
• Respect service users as people worth doing
business with
• Cooperate with the person, not the abuse
• Recognise that cooperation is possible even
where coercion is required
• Recognise that all families have signs of safety
• Maintain a focus on safety
• Learn what the service user wants
Practice Principles
•
•
•
•
•
Always search for detail
Focus on creating small change
Don’t confuse case details with judgments
Offer choices
Treat the interview as a forum for change
Exercise
•
•
What do you like about what you have
heard?
What worries / questions do you have?
Demonstrating the Framework
• Family map
• 3 – 4 free description ‘Why are Children’s
Services involved?’ or ‘What are your main
concerns or the things you most worried
about?’
• Worker’s goal
What’s Working Well?
Demonstrating the Framework
• Based on the initial background
information you have just heard, develop
questions you could ask the worker if you
were facilitating the process to capture
information for the What’s Working
Well? column i.e. Strengths that might
translate into Safety or Existing Safety
What Are We Worried About?
• Past Harm – Clear & specific statements of harm that
•
•
has occurred to any children in the care of the
parents/caregivers. When there has been an extensive
history of abuse, focus on mapping First, Worst & Last
incidents alongside a description of Frequency e.g. how
many times a week / month would the harm typically
happen?
Danger Statements – Who is worried about
whose behaviour towards whom in the future based on the
past harm and /or Complicating Factors and what is the
likely impact on the child.
Complicating Factors – What are the factors/
issues/ things that make this situation more complicated
both for the family and the professionals.
Complicating Factors Typically
Include…
• Poverty
• Addiction
• Issues of Mental Health
• Disability
• Isolation
• Disputes between family members and professionals
• Fear & misunderstanding between people of different
cultures
• Oppressive use of professional authority
• Too many professionals involved
• Professionals not working together
Demonstrating the Framework
• Develop as many questions as you can think of
to get the harm and complicating factors
articulated simply and clearly including details
on:
• Action / Behaviour
• Severity
• Incidence
• Impact
Demonstrating the Framework
• Thinking about the information gathered in
the ‘What are We Worried About?’
column develop a possible ‘Danger
Statement’, i.e. a statement about your
worries for the future for the child if nothing
changes based on the ‘Past Harm’ and the
‘Complicating Factors’ (where relevant)
Danger Statements
1. What are you worried will happen to these
children if nothing changes?
2. Need to be based on (the evidence of) past
harm and complicating factors, not on
catastrophic thinking
3. Danger statements need to be in simple
straightforward language that make sense to the
family without minimising the seriousness
4. Can draw on professional expertise and
knowledge e.g. research
•
Danger Statement Examples
• Rob will almost certainly carry on feeling he is no
good, not wanted, sad, scared and angry because
step-dad Shabs and brother Lyle are telling him so
every day.
Danger Statement Examples
• There is a good chance that Rob will get into
crime or drink; as likely as not he will get
permanently excluded from school
Danger Statement Examples
• Rob will get hit again a lot by Lyle and
probably will get injured.
Judgement
1.On a scale of 0 – 10, rate the situation where
10 = there is sufficient safety to close the case
and 0 = things are so serious the children need
to be removed immediately
2.Look at this from a number of different
perspectives
3.You may ask further questions based on the
rating
4.Consider whether the danger statement needs
to be changed?
Danger Statements:
Safety Goals:
Safety Goals
Safety Goals Examples
• Rob will almost certainly carry on feeling he is no
good, not wanted, sad, scared and angry because
step-dad Shabs and brother Lyle are telling him so
every day.
• Those visiting will see Shabs and Gaynor both
being fair, firm but kind to Rob, speaking
respectfully to him and protecting him from
verbal abuse
Safety Goals Examples
There is a good chance that Rob will get into
crime or drink; as likely as not he will get
permanently excluded from school
Rob will be happier and less inclined to steal or
drink and Gaynor and Shabs will praise and
reward him for this
Because he feels better about himself, Rob will
want to do and behave better in school – school
will see improvement
Safety Goals Examples
• Rob will get hit again a lot by Lyle and
probably will get injured.
• Rob will be kept safe by Gaynor and Shabs
from being hit and criticised by Lyle – they will
be able to describe their plan for this and how
it is working and Rob will say he feels safer
Safety Goals
Exercise – Groups of 3
Signs of Safety Assessment and Planning Form
What are we Worried About?
Harm
Whats Working Well?
Strengths
What Needs to Happen?
SafetyGoals
Danger Statements
Family Goals
Complicating Factors
Next Steps
Safety
Safety Scale
: On a scale of 0 to 10 where 10 means everyone knows the children are safe enough for the child protection authorities to close the case and zero
means things are so bad for the children they can’t live at home, where do we rate this situation? (If different judgements place different people’s number on the continuum).
0
10
Mapping Process Using The 3 Columns
Getting Started
• The Facilitator (who scribes) starts the process by
asking the worker for:
1. Information to construct a genogram
2. A 3 – 4 minute free description ‘What are you main
concerns or the things you are most worried about
right now?’
3. Worker’s Goal (at this stage)?
4. Start asking questions to elicit information for the
‘What’s Working Well?’ column
• (NB: Advisor/Observer take note of good questions)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ask for information to complete a genogram
Get a 3 – 4 minute free description of the key worries in
the case
Ask for the worker’s goal for the exercise
Begin asking questions to elicit ‘What’s working well?
– Elicit and Amplify
Then ask questions to elicit ‘What are we Worried about?’
– Elicit and Amplify to get behaviour, severity, incidence
and impact
Ask questions to help the worker develop danger statement –
reflect on meaning of harm and complicating factors
Ask one or more scaling questions about the levels of
danger; ask from different perspectives
Revisit the danger statement to see if it needs to be amended; ask
more questions to elicit worries if necessary
Ask questions to help the worker develop safety goals
Ask questions to elicit next steps
Revisit and scale the worker’s goal
Process Review Exercise
• Practitioners – what was most helpful?
Observers: What worked best? What were the
best questions?
Facilitators: Which sections of the mapping
flowed best?
What did you struggle with?
Introduction to Safety Planning
• Developed from Danger Statements; parent
led journey to Safety Goals
How, in our house / our family’s life, is next
week going to be different from last week?
Comprised of decisions and ‘rules’ supported by
extended family and friends, services and
professionals
Danger Statements:
Safety Goals:
Resource Planning vs Safety Planning
Resource Plans
Agreed at CP conferences
Led by Safety Goals
Specialist services
Visiting and monitoring arrangements
Additional assessments
Contingencies
Reviewed every 3 – 6 months
Safety Plans
Agreed by keyworker and family after conference
Led by Risk Statement(s)
Detail of how daily life will be different
Build on exceptions and ideas developed with family
Reviewed every week or two
Take 3 or 4 months to ‘bed in’
Case Example
•
•
•
•
•
14 month old Jack – severe health needs
Separated parents in their early 20s
Mum Sharon has a mild learning disability
Father Gary been in prison for assaulting Sharon
Parents minimising impact on Jack of being
exposed to fighting
• Sharon not providing the medicines and care
needed and removed Jack from hospital x 3
against medical advice
Resources
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Case in Court
Couples counselling
Individual counselling
Separate parenting classes
Regular involvement with community health nurse
Little co-ordination or coherence between services
Parents engaging but no clarity about what needed to
be achieved for Jack to stay with parents
Danger Statement 1
• “The County and the Guardian are worried
that Jack could be physically and emotionally
hurt when Gary and Sharon get into
arguments and fights and they become so
wrapped up in the argument they forget to
pay attention to Jack.”
Building on Strengths
Gary had tried to walk away on occasions when
he felt an argument was getting out of control
Sharon would follow him when he did this and
continue the argument
Sharon worked with her counselor on avoiding
escalation and not following Gary
Concrete Actions
Written signed plan which said that Gary would
always walk away from fights when they began
to escalate and that Sharon would not follow
him
Gary agreed to keep a diary of times when he
and Sharon began to argue and he walked away
Confirmed by each parent independently to
their counsellor and observed and reported by
family members and professionals
Danger Statement 2
• “The County and the Guardian are worried
that Jack’s illnesses may get worse when
Sharon does not follow medical
recommendations.”
Collaborating on Safety
Social worker brought Sharon and the community
health nurse together to ‘concretize’ the concerns
Sharon agreed to keep a log of every medical
intervention she made with Jack
Sharon and the nurse reviewed the log together
each week
Nurse prepared a series of cards with simple
directions to cue Sharon in different medical
situations (e.g. asthma attack,
coughing, vomiting)
Children’s Tools
Children’s Tools
• For Listening…
• The Three Houses
– Nikki Weld & Maggie Greening
• The Wizard and Fairy
– Vania de Paz
• The Safety House
– Sonja Parker
– For Telling…
• The Words and Pictures
– Susie Essex
Words & Pictures
1.A storyboard (words and pictures) for children
to help them understand events that are
difficult for adults around them to talk about
2.Parents and worker develop the words
together using the family’s own words.
3. Primarily used to explain worries, concerns
and difficult situations to younger children
4. Also used as part of a safety planning process
Exercise – in Pairs
• In pairs:• Why is it important for children to know the truth / is it
important for children to know the truth? How well are you
doing in your Agency?
• To what extent do children have the best possible
understanding where:• 0 = involved with our service have little understanding of
their situation
• 10 = children involved with our service always have a good
understanding of their situation
Practice Example
Jennifer Levitt - Wandsworth
Practice Example
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Exercise – Words & Pictures
• In pairs talk about:
• What do you think will be the benefits to the
child in the future as a result of this work?
Follow-on Exercise
In pairs:
Thinking of the children on your caseload today
– which of these do you think it could be
useful to use this tool with?
Exercise – in Pairs
1. Why is it important for children to be heard?
2. Think about a time in your childhood when
you were listened to by an adult and a time
when you were just paid lip service to – what
was the difference?
3. What is the importance of the child’s voice in
Safeguarding work
Poppy’s House of Good Things
84
Poppy’s House of Worries
85
Poppy’s House of Dreams
86
3 Houses - Process
88
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The Safety House
Created by Sonja Parker
www.aspirationsconsultancy.c
om
Rules of my safety house
People who live in
my safety house
What we do in my safety house
People who come to
visit my safety house
People I don’t
feel safe with
Path to my
safety house
Safety House
Safety House
Follow on Exercise
In pairs:
Thinking of the children on your caseload today
– which of these do you think it could be
useful to use these tools with? Which tools
would you use and why?
The End
• THANK YOU – SAFE HOME!
• damiangriffiths898@gmail.com