Integrated
Safety-Organized Practice
Module One:
Interviewing for Safety and Danger
Children’s Research Center
A nonprofit social research organization and division of the
National Council on Crime and Delinquency
www.nccdglobal.org
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www.nccd-crc.org
Agreements
We will be meeting
over the next 12
months
How can we make
these module trainings
work best for you?
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Agreements
• “Try on.”
• Everyone always has the right to pass.
• Know that silence is a contribution.
• We agree to share airtime and stick to time limits.
• We agree to speak personally, for ourselves as individuals.
• We agree to disagree and avoid making assumptions or generalities.
• We agree to allow others to finish speaking before we speak and avoid
interrupting and side conversations.
• We will work together to hold to these agreements and authorize the
trainer to hold us to them.
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Background for the Development of
Safety-Organized Practice in
San Diego County
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Our Thinking Draws From
the Legacy of Others
Insoo Kim Berg
Steve de Shazer
Rob
Sawyer
Sue
Lohrbach
Andrew Turnell
Susie
Essex
Steve Edwards
Sonja Parker
Nicki
Weld
Carver
County
…and we hope YOU will continue to build
on these ideas and approaches.
CRC Staff
John Vogel
Sophia Chin
Heather Meitner
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The SDM
System
San Diego County’s
SafetyOrganized
Practice
SofS
Trauma-informed
Lens
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Safety-Organized Practice
Safety is:
Actions of protection
taken by the caregiver
that mitigate the danger
demonstrated over time.
Adapted from Boffa, J., & Podesta, H. (2004) Partnership and risk assessment in child protection practice, Protecting
Children, 19(2): 36–48.
Turnell, Andrew & Susie Essex Working with Denied Child Abuse, Open University Press, 2006.
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Looking for Signs of Danger and Safety
Her father:
physically abusive,
dangerous
Foster
care
Past
D
V
D
E
P
R
E
S
S
I
O
N
O
F
F
Suicide attempt by
gas in the kitchen
while the children
were home
M
E
D
S Poverty
Present
Future
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Looking for Signs of Danger and Safety
????
Past
Present
Future
•What will Cheryl’s future likely look like?
• What do we know about danger?
•What do we know about safety?
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Looking for Signs of Danger and Safety
Suicide attempt by gas
in the kitchen while
the children were home
Past
Present
Future
“I took the
girls and put
them in the
next room.”
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Looking for Signs of Danger and Safety
Present
Past
“My mom
gave
custody
of me
to my
aunt.”
“My mom
and aunt
made
sure I got an
education.”
L
E
F
T
H
U
S
B
Approp.
care of
girls w/
school,
MD,
therapy
“I took the
girls and put
them in the
next room.”
Future
“I’m getting
up at 4 a.m. to
meet them and
get them off
to school.”
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Looking for Signs of Danger and Safety
What will Cheryl’s future likely look like?
What do we know about safety?
What do we know about danger?
Past
Present
Future
????
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“Naïve” Practice
Past
Present
Future
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“Problem-Saturated” Practice
Past
Present
Future
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“Naïve” Practice
Past
Present
Future
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A Full Assessment
Past
Present
Future
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Safety-Organized Practice
Safety is:
Actions of protection
taken by the caregiver
that directly mitigate the
danger, demonstrated
over time.
Adapted from Boffa, J., & Podesta, H. (2004) Partnership and risk assessment in child protection practice, Protecting Children,
19(2): 36–48. Turnell, Andrew & Susie Essex Working with Denied Child Abuse, Open University Press, 2006.
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Basic Terms: What are the Worries?
Harm
Danger
• Past actions by
the caregiver
that have hurt
the children
physically,
developmentally,
or emotionally
• Detailed current
or future worries
of harm
• Imminent threat
of serious harm
• Based on recent
past or current
threat of harm
Complicating
Factors
• Anything that
further
complicates the
case
• Often conditions
that are
worrisome,
concerning, but
not to level of
harm
• May include risk,
needs
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Basic Terms: What Is Working Well?
Strengths
• Skills of living,
nurturing, or
support that
are important
but do not
directly
address the
harm/danger
Acts of
Protection
• Demonstrated
actions that
could mitigate
the danger
(Some SDM
protective
capacities could
apply here)
Safety
• Acts of
protection,
taken by the
caregiver, that
mitigate the
danger,
demonstrated
over time
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PRACTICE
Think of a
family you
work with that
has a child in
care or has a
safety plan.
What is the
DANGER/
safety threat?
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PRACTICE
Think of a family
you work with that
has a child in care
or has a safety
plan.
What is the
DANGER OR
SAFETY THREAT?
What is working
well for this family?
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PRACTICE
DISTINGUISH
Think of a
family you
work with that
has a child in
care or has a
safety plan.
What is the
DANGER or
SAFETY
THREAT?
Are these
“acts of
protection”
What is
working well?
(SAFETY)
or
good skills and
qualities but
not actions that
directly address
the danger
(STRENGTHS)
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PRACTICE
Are
SAFETY and SERVICES
the same thing?
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Three Questions that Organize
THE INTERVIEW
What are we
worried about?
What is working
well?
What needs to
happen next?
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Safety-Organized Practice:
Values and Principles
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Values and Principles:
Working With Families
• Every family deserves our respect.*
• Cooperate with the person, not the abuse.*
• Cooperation is possible even when coercion is
required.*
• All families have acts of protection.*
• Families deserve a process and assessments that are
reliable, valid, and equitable.
• Traumatic experiences affect families and should inform
how we work with them to build safety.
*Turnell, A. and Edwards, S. (1999). Signs of Safety. New York: Norton
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Values and Principles:
Interviewing
• Safety is the focus.*
• Know at which key decision point you are.
• Focus on information needed for that decision.
• Search for detail and clarity, rather than using jargon.
• Inquiry is an intervention. (Inquiry IS interviewing for
safety as well as worries.)*
• Be aware of how inquiry may trigger trauma symptoms.
*Turnell, A. and Edwards, S. (1999). Signs of Safety. New York: Norton
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Values and Principles: Decisions
• Decision making is shared with the family whenever
possible.
• Decisions are informed by assessment recommendations.
• Overrides are appropriate when needed, and reasons
should be clearly articulated.
• Sometimes the decisions will add to the child and family’s
trauma.
• We have a responsibility to reduce the trauma we cause as
much as possible and help to heal what cannot be
prevented.
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Values and Principles: Planning
• Learn what all members of the family want to see happen.*
• Focus on imminent danger (immediate safety plan) and
priority needs (ongoing safety plan).
• Focus on creating small change.*
• The goal is behavioral change, not plan compliance.
• The means is action, not services.
• Plan to respond to any identified trauma.
*Turnell, A. & Edwards, S. (1999). Signs of Safety. New York: Norton
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Values and Principles:
Worker Disciplines
• Rigorous search for relevant details.*
• Using words everyone can understand.
• Describe in terms of behaviors, not judgments or
jargon.*
• Skillful use of authority.*
• Responsive, not reactive, to trauma symptoms.
*Turnell, A. & Edwards, S. (1999). Signs of Safety. New York: Norton
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Signs of Safety Practice Element #2
Signs of Safety Practice Principle #5
Find the Exceptions to the
Maltreatment
Maintain a Focus on Safety
e
th
er r e
at m o
e
r
e
e
e g th th ill
Th tail, b le n w s.
d e alu a atio r tie
v rm pa
o
ll
in f to a
be
The focus of child protective work is ALWAYS to increase safety.
Finding except ions t o t he abuse creat es hope
f or t he f amily and f or t he social worker.
“You said earlier that it’s not always like this.
Can you tell me more about the other times?”
“When was the last time this problem
happened? How have you managed to avoid it
since then?”
The heart of the Signs of Safety approach is a focus on goals.
Namely, what does the agency need to see to close the case?
And what are the family’s ideas and ways of creating safety?
“Have you been in this situation before? What
did you do that helped?”
Where no exception exists,
the worker may be alerted
to a more serious problem.
p. 58 - 61
Can you tell me about times when this parent
has responded appropriately in keeping the
child safe? What did she do?
Exception Q uestions are instrumental in discovering
the presence of safe and constructive behaviors.
Presence vs. Absence
p. 38
It’ s difficult to create change by telling someone to stop
something. It’ s usually more productive to help people
start something. Have a parent start locking a gate, or
describe how they are going to protect their child from
sexual abuse.
I f you f ocus on where
you are t rying t o go,
it is much more likely
t hat you will get
t here, AND recognize
t hat you have arrived.
Signs of Safety Practice Principle # 4
Recognize that All Families
Have Signs of Safety
strengths
resources
own way of
solving
problems
own
goals
ly
rare
are ll of
a
dren
Chil ltreated e
ma he tim
t
Signs of Safety provides a
balance to the problems and
dangers. It provides many
clues for developing a
cooperative relationship with
the family. Looking for signs of
safety also helps to create a
specific plan and intervention.
abuse
neglect
safety
threats
risk
factors
family
a one- sided f ocus
convert s a whole
person int o a problem
p. 36 - 37
*Turnell, A. and Edwards, S. (1999). Signs of Safety. New York: Norton
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A Word About
What Is Coming
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Before and After: What You Do
Current Practice
Interview children
Interview parents
Interview collaterals
Make decisions about whether a child is
safe in home
Build case plans
Monitor case plans
Make decisions about when to return a
child home
Make decisions about when to close case
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Before and After: What You Do
Current Practice
New Approach
Interview children
Interview children
Interview parents
Interview parents
Interview collaterals
Interview collaterals
Make decisions about whether a child is
safe in home
Make decisions about whether a child is
safe in home
Build case plans
Build case plans
Monitor case plans
Monitor case plans
Make decisions about when to return a
child home
Make decisions about when to return a
child home
Make decisions about when to close case
Make decisions about when to close case
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What Is Different?
The tools
available
The way the
process is
organized
Trauma lens
High emphasis on
child, family, and
community
participation in all
aspects of the work
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Before and After:
What You Document
Current Practice
Case notes
Assessments
Plans
Court reports
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Before and After: What You
Document
Current Practice
New Approach
Case notes
Case notes
Assessments
Assessments
Plans
Plans
Court reports
Court reports
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What Is Different?
The tools
available
The way the
process is
organized
Trauma lens
High emphasis on
child, family, and
community
participation in all
aspects of the work
38
Hoped-for Outcomes of the
New Approach
Increased engagement
Increased teamwork
Increased accuracy & child safety
Increased consistency
Increased satisfaction
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Is the New Approach More Work?
• Learning phase
• We will have a
learning curve
• BUT it is just a small
bite at a time
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What Will Happen Next?
• Three-hour
trainings
• Opportunity to
practice in training
Monthly module
training
PRACTICE!
• Coaching
• Reflection
• What works?
• What doesn’t?
• Come back and
talk as a group –
what are we
learning?
Next monthly
module training
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Integrated Safety-Organized
Practice Training Series
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Interviewing for Safety and Danger
Three Questions to Organize Your Practice
Small Voices, Big Impact: Keeping Children at the Center of the Work
Solution-focused Inquiry
Introduction to Mapping
Harm Statements, Danger Statements and Safety Goals
Mapping With Families
Safety Networks
Safety Planning
Landing Safety-Organized Practice Model in Everyday Work
Organizational Environments: Reflection, Appreciation, and Ongoing
Learning
12. Summary and Looking to the Future
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Adopt at Your Own Pace
Adopt At Your Own Pace
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References
Boffa, J., & Armitage, E. (1999). The Victorian Risk Framework: Developing a Professional Judgment Approach To Risk
Assessment In Child Protection Work, 7th Australian Conference on Child Abuse And Neglect, Perth, W.A.
Children’s Research Center (2008). Structured Decision Making®: An Evidence-Based Approach to Human Services.
Retrieve from http://www.nccd-crc.org/crc/pdf/2008_sdm_book.pdf
Department of Child Protection. (2011). The Signs of Safety Child Protection Practice Framework. Department of Child
Protection, Perth. Retrieved from http://www.signsofsafety.net/westernaustralia
Johnson, W. (2004). Effectiveness of California’s child welfare Structured Decision Making® model: A prospective study
of the validity of the California family risk assessment. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Social Services.
Retrieved form http://www.nccd-crc.org/crc/pubs/ca_sdm_model_feb04.pdf
Lohrbach, S., & Sawyer, R. (2004). Creating a constructive practice: family and professional partnership in high-risk
child protection case conferences, Protecting Children, 19(2): 26–35.
Turnell, A., & Edwards, S. (1999). Signs of Safety. New York: Norton.
White, M., & Epston, E. (1999). Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends. New York: Norton.
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