Integrated
Safety-Organized Practice
Module Four:
Solution-focused Inquiry
Children’s Research Center
A nonprofit social research organization and division of the
National Council on Crime and Delinquency
1
www.nccdglobal.org
www.nccd-crc.org
Module
Subject
1
Interviewing for Safety and Danger
2
Three Questions to Organize Your Practice
3
Small Voices, Big Impact: Keeping Children at the Center of the Work
4
Solution-focused Inquiry
5
Introduction to Mapping
6
Harm Statements, Danger Statements, and Safety Goals
7
Mapping With Families
8
Safety Networks
9
Safety Planning
10
Landing Safety-Organized Practice in Everyday Work
11
Organizational Environments: Reflection, Appreciation, and Ongoing
Learning
12
Summary and Looking to the Future
2
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.
3
Our Thinking Draws From
the Legacy of Others
Insoo Kim Berg
Steve de Shazer
Rob
Sawyer
Sue
Lohrbach
Andrew
Turnell
Susie
Essex
Steve
Edwards
Nicki
Weld
Sonja
Parker
Carver
County
…and we hope YOU will continue to build
on these ideas and approaches.
CRC
Staff
John Vogel
Sophia Chin
Heather Meitner
4
Essential Question
Are the children safe?
What are
the Worries?
SFQ’s
Impact
Detail
Position
Sort
SDM
What’s
Working
Well?
What
Happens
Next?
SFQ’s
Impact
Detail
Position
Sort
SDM
SFQ’s
Impact
Detail
Position
Sort
SDM
5
Safety Definition
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 and Susie Essex Working with Denied Child Abuse, Open University Press, 2006.
6
Trauma Lens
• The impact of abuse and/or neglect on a child
can be traumatic.
• Many parents with whom we work have been
impacted by childhood trauma.
• A parent’s response to past trauma can
actually lead to repeating trauma patterns in
their children.
What are some of the ways you talk about the
impact of trauma in your work with children and families?
7
Let’s Review and Reflect!
What have you tried from the
module last month?
What worked well?
What were your challenges?
How did you handle those
challenges?
8
What is Solution-focused Inquiry?
9
What is Solution-focused Inquiry?
A practice of using questions and having conversations that
strengthen an individual or family’s capacity to achieve their own
best judgment in difficult times by surfacing and making visible:
•People’s past and present capacities (how they survived trauma);
•Achievements, assets, unexplored potentials;
•Innovations, strengths, high-point moments;
•Values, traditions, stories;
•Expressions of wisdom; and
•Visions of valued and possible futures.
10
Check In
In small groups with someone who has tried some of these
practices before:
Can you talk about a time you tried to use a solution-focused
practice of some kind?
About that time:
•What worked well that you appreciated, felt was effective,
would want others to know?
•What was hard, confusing, not effective, that you would not
want others to repeat?
•What, if anything, do you wish you could better understand
about solution-focused practice?
11
Why Solution-focused Inquiry?
Single biggest predictor of positive outcomes in child welfare?
•
Good working relationships between the worker, the family
and the other helping professionals.
Farmer & Owen, 1995
12
Solution-focused Questions are Your Tools!
13
Why Solution-focused Inquiry?
Two Conversations
14
Five Types of Solution-focused Questions
Exception
Questions
Scaling
Questions
• Past history of
protection
• Sharing judgment,
steps to change
Coping
Questions
Preferred Future
Questions
• Solutions even in
the face of difficulty
• A vision for what
could be
Position Questions
15
Recipe for Power Struggles
Hurtful comment or action
Assumption of malicious intent
Collection of evidence
Determination to be “right”
16
Questions in Solution-focused Inquiry
• Are an intervention (strategic!) and are never neutral in their
effects;
• Generate an experience for the person being asked;
• Can provide new understanding for the person being asked, as
well as the inquirer;
• Can help people recognize exceptions, solutions and useful
moments from their own history they might have otherwise
disregarded;
• Can create space for critical reflection with minimal blame and
shame; and
• Require skill, rigor, and practice.
17
How is This Different?
Two categories of questions:
1. Straight data-gathering questions
Both are
good!
2. Solution-focused questions
• We are trying to expand our practice to include both on a regular
basis so we stay in a place of INQUIRY rather than EXPERT.
• Over-used, data-gathering questions will feel like too much
QUESTIONING.
• Over-used, solution-focused questions can feel too DIFFERENT.
18
Solution-focused Question Tip:
Think of what you want to know more
about or are hoping to help your client
do.
Think of a solution-focused category
that might help: example “Preferred
Future”
Practice! Sometimes you have
to reword it a few times until it
lands. Don’t be afraid to get
tongue-tied the first few times!
19
Exception Questions
20
Classic Exception Question
“Can you tell me about a time X (the problem) could have
happened, maybe almost happened, but somehow, some
way, you were able to do something else instead?”
21
Exception Questions: Basic Assumptions
•
Cornerstone of Solution-focused Inquiry;
•
No problem is absolute in its effects—there are always “signs of safety;”
•
Seeks to find times when the problem could have done what it always
does, but did not;
•
Gives us a place to begin to look for safety, strengths, resources and
alternative actions;
•
People who know they have been able to change in the past are more
likely to be able to do it again; and
•
Helps family members realize we are not only interested in the problems
or failures of their lives, but also how they could repeat their successes.
22
Listen for the Empty Spaces
Really look for them.
No problem is ever
complete in its
effects.
23
Listen for the Empty Spaces
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
24
Listen for the Empty Spaces
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
What is the history of protection?
25
Eliciting Exceptions
1
2
Try asking an
exception question
three different ways
before you decide
there is no answer.
Persistence is important—
exceptions are often
hidden, neglected or
minimized.
3
26
With Whom Can You Use Exception
Questions?
…especially the
children!
27
Exceptions and the SDM® system
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Get Details
He was “appropriate”
on the visit
Jargon and
generalities
What exactly did he do
well? What else?
Behavioral
details
SDM definitions and
“impact on the child”
What difference
did it make to the
child? Would it
meet the SDM
definitions?
29
Quick Practice
Case is Closed
(child goes home)
Case Opens
(child comes
into care)
Case Opens Again
(child returns)
30
Quick Practice
Sober four
months
Drunk every
night
for years
Sober again
two weeks
Drunk again
for a month
31
“You said that John’s lying
(problem) had been happening
all the time, but then last week
there was one moment when it
did not happen. He could have
lied and didn’t. Can you tell me
more about that?”
32
“You said that even though
Jack’s drinking (problem) had
been going on for some time,
you still were able to hold onto
some hope that things could be
better. Is that right?”
33
“I understand that Linda’s running
away has been happening a lot,
and I do want to hear about it. Can
I ask though – has there ever been
a time when Linda could have
bolted but somehow she managed
to stay?”
34
“What would be good for me to know
about you as a family/parent that might
be hard for me to see if I were only to
talk about X?”
“If you were to believe that the
[reported danger] was a problem, what,
if anything, would you want to do to
respond?”
35
• Turn to your partner.
• Partner A - Pick a goal in your life that is important
to you – something that would make you a better
person. Pick a goal that you feel comfortable
sharing with your partner.
• Partner B - Ask your partner an exception
question.
• Switch
• Give feedback
36
• Now, with your same partner, give this
a go on Cheryl’s case.
• Have one person be Cheryl and one
person be the social worker.
• Think of an exception question you
could ask Cheryl related to her
depression.
• Switch.
37
Summary: Exception Questions
• Listen for the “empty spaces.”
• Use the three questions—have you gotten behavioral
detail focused on impact?
• Use the SDM definition—does it change what you score?
• Have you been rigorous about the history of protection?
• Remember: Your questions are an intervention!
38
Scaling Questions
39
Basic Scale
0
10
Least
Most
A perfect 10!
40
Four Follow-up Questions
1. Describe your scale endpoints: 0 = the
behavior to be stopped; 10 = the new,
desired behavior.
2. What got you to that number?
3. Ask a position question: “Where would your
daughter scale this if she were here?”
4. What will it take to move your number up just
one point?
41
Example for Physical Abuse Case
On a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 = the most danger, and 10 = the most safety
for your child, when your boyfriend hits your child how safe do you think your
child is?
Follow-up questions:
•
What is helping you give it this number and not one below?
•
What (concretely!) would need to happen to increase your rating by one?
•
Can I tell you what I think would need to happen so my number would go
up?
42
Very
sad
Very
happy
43
Scaling Questions
• Take something abstract and turn it into something concrete;
• Take something that is often thought of as an absolute (“he/she is
safe or he/she is not’” and put it on a continuum;
• Help professionals stake a claim to their judgment in a concrete way;
• Allow for dialogue across family/worker, worker and
supervisor/manager;
• Help professionals consider what family member views might be in
supervision and consultation; and
• Help identify small next steps.
44
With Whom Can You Use Scaling
Questions?
Ask questions that get the
positions of all the family
members on the scale…
…especially
the children!
45
Scaling and the SDM® System
0
10
46
Scaling Questions
You can use these to assess:
47
Willingness Scale
On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 = you
don’t feel willing at all to follow this plan,
and 10 = fully willing, how willing are
you to take this next step?
Follow-up question:
Is there anything we could do about this
plan that might help your number go up
by one?
48
Capacity Scale
On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 = you do not feel you have
what you need to accomplish this goal; and 10 = you have
everything you need, where would you say you are on this
scale?
Follow-up question:
What could happen to bring your rating up one?
49
Confidence Scale
On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 = you
have no confidence at all in your ability
to accomplish this goal, and 10 = you
have all the confidence in the world that
you can do this, where would you say
you are on this scale?
Follow-up questions:
•
What is helping you keep it at that
number and not one below?
•
What could happen that might bring
your rating up one?
50
Progress Scale
On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 = we are making no progress on
the problems that brought you into your work with the agency,
and 10 being we are making all the progress that could possibly
be made, where would you say we are right now?
Follow-up questions:
•
If we met again one month from now and this
number was up by one in your mind, what do
you think would have happened?
•
How do you understand us getting different
results from the different people we ask this?
51
Incorporating Scaling Questions
A little goes a long way...
52
• Turn to your partner.
• Partner A - Pick a goal in your life that is important
to you – something that would make you a better
person. Pick a goal that you feel comfortable
sharing with your partner.
• Partner B - Ask your partner a scaling question.
• Ask the four follow-up questions.
• Switch
• Give feedback
53
• Now, with your same partner, give this
a go on Cheryl’s case.
• Have one person be Cheryl and one
person be the social worker.
• Think of a scaling question you could
ask mom related to Cheryl’s
depression.
• Switch.
54
Summary of Scaling Questions
•
Scaling questions help us talk about abstract things in a more
concrete way.
•
Scaling questions help us think about things on a continuum instead
of on/off.
•
The important part of scaling questions is not the number, but using
the number to have a conversation that follows.
•
Scaling questions can be used to help answer each of the three
main questions (What are we worried about? What is working well?
What needs to happen next?) and can help with any SDM
assessment.
•
Scaling questions should be used strategically—they are useful at
many, many points but do not need to be used at all points.
55
Position Questions
56
Position Questions
These questions are designed to help someone shift
perspective and see things through another’s eyes.
“If your son was here right now and heard everything we
have been talking about, what do you think he would be
most worried about?”
“When your daughter is older, what would you want to tell
her if someone she was dating started doing to her what
your boyfriend has been doing to you?”
57
• Turn to your partner.
• Partner A: Pick a goal in your life that is important
to you—something that would make you a better
person. Pick a goal that you feel comfortable
sharing with your partner.
• Partner B: Ask your partner a position question.
• Switch
• Give feedback
58
• Now, with your same partner, give this
a go on Cheryl’s case.
• Have one person be Cheryl and one
person be the social worker.
• Think of a position question you could
ask Cheryl related to her depression.
• Switch.
59
Summary of Position Questions
Position questions are a great tool to help ourselves and the
families we work with to take on the perspective of another.
These questions help to build empathy and to increase
perspective about a given situation.
Position questions help to build partnerships that can be
used to build more safety for a child.
60
Coping Questions
61
Coping Questions
Most people never would have been able to survive
what you have survived. How do you think you were
able to do it?
Follow-up:
• What specifically have you done to survive this?
• Who or what has helped?
• How have you managed to keep things from getting worse?
• What would your child say he/she is most proud of that you are doing?
62
Exercise: Invisible Suitcase
For children who have experienced trauma, they can
have an invisible suitcase that is often filled with
overwhelming negative beliefs and expectations.
How could you ask a coping question to help a
child deal with these beliefs?
•“It’s all my fault.”
•“I never know when something bad is going to
happen around me.”
•“I can’t count on the people who take care of
me.”
63
• Turn to your partner.
• Partner A: Pick a goal in your life that is important
to you—something that would make you a better
person. Pick a goal that you feel comfortable
sharing with your partner.
• Partner B: Ask your partner a coping question.
• Switch
• Give feedback
64
• Now, with your same partner, give this
a go on Cheryl’s case.
• Have one person be Cheryl and one
person be the social worker.
• Think of a coping question you could
ask Cheryl related to her depression.
• Switch.
65
Summary of Coping Questions
Coping questions are a good starting place to build a
partnership with a parent, child or caregiver.
A good coping question relies on an astute sense of
observation to determine what the person has been
struggling with and how they have been managing that
struggle.
Coping questions can show a person that you see him/her
more as a survivor than a victim.
66
Preferred Future Questions
67
Preferred Future Questions
These are questions that help someone imagine a future
they want/do not want and compare it to the present.
Examples:
You are pretty clear that this isn’t how you want things to
be. How would you like things to be instead? (DETAILS!)
What would need to happen to get things there?
Ten years from now when your child is older, what story do
you hope he/she tells about this time? About what you do or
don’t do?
68
69
• Turn to your partner.
• Partner A: Pick a goal in your life that is important
to you—something that would make you a better
person. Pick a goal that you feel comfortable
sharing with your partner.
• Partner B: Ask your partner a preferred future
question.
• Switch
• Give feedback
70
• Now, with your same partner, give this
a go on Cheryl’s case.
• Have one person be Cheryl and one
person be the social worker.
• Think of a preferred future question
you could ask Cheryl related to her
depression.
• Switch.
71
Summary of Preferred
Future Questions
•
Preferred future questions help develop a vision for where
they wish to be or where they want to go. It’s very hard to
make a change if you don’t have a vision of where you want
to be instead.
•
Preferred future questions can help a parent, child or
caregiver to identify what they think should happen next, and
identify small steps they can take to reach that destination.
•
Preferred future questions are helpful for people who have
experienced trauma. They are a way to get a person thinking
about how things can be, and actions they can take to start
to feel better without using a substance or something else to
cope with their pain.
72
At the Heart:
“Motivation for change may be
linked to the degree of hope
that change is possible.”
U.S. National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect
73
Solution-focused Question Tip
• Describe the purpose of the interview
•
I want to get your best thinking about how we can keep
your child safe.
• Discuss context
•
I am learning a new way to ask questions to help us get
answers and ideas about how we can keep your child
safe. This is new to me.
• Agreements
•
Is it OK with you if I sometimes re-ask a question a few
times so we can be sure the question is clear?
74
Application Examples
Activity
Possible Question
First Contact
Coping: “It must be a little hard having me in your
home right now.”
Investigation/Assessment
Exception: “Can you tell me about a time when this
problem was not happening?”
Case Plan Formation
Future: “Let’s say it is six months from now and this
problem is solved. What would it look like?”
Ongoing Safety Assessment
Scale: “On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 = it’s not
safe and 10 = your child is now safe, where would
you scale this?”
Adoption
Position: “I know how you feel about Tony’s birth
parents, but if Tony was here right now, what
questions or worries do you think he might have
about his birth parents?”
75
What’s going
well?
What are
your worries?
Exception Questions
Coping Questions
Position Questions
Scaling Questions
Coping Questions
Scaling Questions
Position Questions
Exception Questions
What should
happen next?
Preferred Future
Questions
Scaling (confidence,
capacity and
willingness)
Position Questions
76
Signs of Safety Practice Element #3
Signs of Safety Practice Element #2
Discover Family
Strengths & Resources
Find the Exceptions to the
Maltreatment
he
rt
te o r e
a
m
re 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
e
b
St rengt h quest ions
should not be seen
as an at t empt t o
minimize t he abuse.
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?”
“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?
p. 61 - 67
Rat her, st rengt h
quest ions reinf orce t he
idea t hat t he f amily’s
lif e and experience f orm
a f oundat ion on which
change can be built .
Exception Q uestions are instrumental in discovering
the presence of safe and constructive behaviors.
Signs of Safety Practice Element #6
Assess Willingness,
Confidence & Capacity
The willingness, conf idence and capacit y of service recipient s
regarding any plans f or act ion are indicat ors of saf et y or danger.
Willingness
Use scaling
questions to work
toward lining up
these three factors.
Confidence
Capacity
p. 79 - 83
*Turnell, A. and Edwards S. (1999). Signs of Safety. New York: Norton
77
78
One Last Thing—Thinking Ahead
In pairs:
•What is one thing you heard today
that you value or makes sense to
you?
•What are you already doing to put
that into action in your work?
•What else would you like to do to
‘land it’ even more in your work
between now and next time?
79
References
Berg, I. K. & Kelly, S. (2000). Building Solutions in Child Protective Services. New
York: Norton.
de Shazer, S. (1985). Keys to Solution in Brief Therapy. New York: Norton.
Madsen, W. (2007), Collaborative therapy with multi-stressed families: from old
problems to new futures (2nd Edition). New York: Guildford.
Turnell, A. & Edwards S. (1999). Signs of Safety. New York: Norton.
Child Protection Messages from Research.(1995). Studies in Child Protection
HMSO: London.
Creating Trauma Informed Systems (2012). National Child Traumatic Stress
Network. Retrieved from http://www.nctsn.org/resources/topics/creatingtrauma-informed-systems
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