Safety-Organized Practice Training Module Series Learning Objectives 1) Interviewing for Safety and Danger: What is a Balanced, Rigorous Assessment? Become familiar with the components of Safety-Organized Practice, which link together for improved outcomes in direct child welfare work. Components include the Structured Decision Making (SDM) system, Signs of Safety, cultural humility, and trauma-informed practices. Practice the use of the Three Questions, which organize a rigorous, balanced interview of a family and their network of friends, family, and community providers. Learn the values and principles of the practice, which support micro and macro outcomes for work with children and families. 2) Three Questions Learn the explicit purpose of using the Three Questions to facilitate change and how to deepen their inquiry regarding what is worrisome and what is working well for the family. Practice using the Three Questions to elicit the most relevant information and avoid labeling and making generalizations of families. Understand the importance of always connecting both positive and negative caregiver behaviors to the impact on the child(ren). NCCD promotes just and equitable social systems for individuals, families, and communities through research, public policy, and practice. 1970 Broadway, Ste. 500 Oakland, CA 94612 426 S. Yellowstone Dr., Ste. 250 Madison, WI 53719 1022 Park St., Ste. 207 Jacksonville, FL 32204 (800) 306-6223 www.nccdglobal.org
3) Interviewing Children» Learn or re-learn the purpose of interviewing children in a child welfare context.» Receive the step-by-step guides for walking a child through the Three Houses and Safety House exercises. Practice the use of the Three Houses and the Safety House tools to engage children in assessment and safety planning. Adopt the belief that children should be included in their own family s assessment of danger/safety and valued for their participation in safety planning. 4) Solution-Focused Inquiry» Increase understanding of the importance of inquiry in building effective working relationships.» Learn about solution-focused interviewing and how it directly assists workers to deepen their interviews of all stakeholders involved with the family, which leads to better joint critical thinking and decision making throughout the life of the case.» Practice the use of five types of solution-focused questions exceptions, scaling, coping, preferred future, and position to engage families and elicit the most useful information from families and their stakeholders.» Create a plan to try out one or more solution-focused questions in dialogue with a family. Value the use of solution-focused inquiry in practice with first contact with a family, investigation and assessment, forming case plans, ongoing assessment of safety, adoptions, and more accurate completion of all SDM assessments. 2
5) Safety Mapping Part One: Use in the Office Learn the definitions of the terms used in safety mapping, the two kinds of safety maps, and how to walk through the process for consultation in the office. Practice the use of the safety map as an organizing framework when seeking case consultation in the office.» Value that safety mapping is incomplete and often inaccurate until done with families.» Also appreciate that safety mapping can be helpful to frame internal agency discussions regarding the family using the shared language of the mapping framework in order to keep our focus on current harm/danger and plan for future safety. 6) Harm, Danger, and Goal Statements» Become familiar with the elements of strong harm and danger statements and safety goals, which are created at the end of the safety mapping process.» Increase understanding of how the harm and danger statements are linked to risk of future maltreatment.» Practice the development of harm and danger statements in the office to share with the family and how to co-develop them with families in the field.» Practice development of effective and realistic safety goals.» Practice crafting scaling questions to assess progress toward identified goals. 3
» Appreciate the value of ensuring the family and the agency are on the same page (shared understanding) about why the family is involved with the child welfare system.» Increase confidence in how to ask strategic questions to facilitate goal development.» Value the collaborative process of creating danger statements and safety goals with families. 7) Safety Mapping Part Two: With the Family» Learn how to facilitate the three-column mapping process with families, whether in the home or office, and how using solution-focused questions deepens critical thinking for the family and agency.» Link the mapping information back to the SDM assessments. Practice the use of rigorous, solution-focused questions (using the EARS technique) to complete the three-column map through a culturally responsive and trauma-informed lens.» Increase confidence in ability to lead the safety mapping process.» Appreciate how mapping with families makes home visits more focused and builds shared understanding and agreement about the reasons the family is involved with the agency and what it will need to look like to end involvement.» Believe that the mapping process will engage families and their networks in partnering with workers for rigorous future safety of their children. 4
8) Network Development» Gain an understanding that all caregivers need help and support in their efforts to provide safety, well-being, and permanency for children.» Receive a step-by-step guide to family safety network development using the safety circles exercise.» Gain an understanding of how to facilitate the development of a family safety network that will last long after the agency ends involvement.» Practice the steps by doing the safety circles activity on actual families. Appreciate that it is best practice to engage a family in building up their informal network of support people to enhance future safety, post-agency involvement. 9) Safety Planning» Learn about different safety plans immediate, ongoing, and after-care plans.» Increase understanding of how effective safety plans are built using family safety networks.» Increase understanding of how to identify caregiver actions that are needed to mitigate the stated danger. Practice writing behaviorally specific actions on a safety plan that clarify how caregiver behaviors will positively impact the children and mitigate the danger. 5
» Appreciate that it is best practice to engage a family AND their safety network in co-creating the safety plan.» Value a safety plan that goes beyond compliance with services and clearly identifies how service participation will lead to behavioral changes that directly enhance safety. 10) Landing Safety-Organized Practice in Everyday Work Learn how to best document the activities done in Safety-Organized Practice and how progress is being measured.» Document in narratives the information gained using Safety-Organized Practice in SDM assessments, harm and danger statements, and safety goals.» Write court reports in clear, jargon-free language and prepare for court testimony using Safety-Organized Practice.» Effectively integrate safety plans into case plans with families. Recognize the importance of documenting in plain language a balanced assessment of patterns of harm as well as patterns of protection in family care records. 11) Organizational Environments: Reflection, Appreciation, and Ongoing Learning Learn the role of organizational climate and culture in supporting best practices with families and how appreciative inquiry and facilitated group supervision can help with this process.» Learn basic skills in conducting appreciative inquiry within organizations.» Learn basic skills in facilitation of group meetings.» Consider how both can be integrated into group supervision. 6
Appreciate the roles organizations and organizational actions can play in helping staff do best practice with families in the field. 12) Conclusion: Summary and Looking Forward» Review the ways Safety-Organized Practice fits into all parts of child welfare work.» Consider individual participant growth from throughout the series.» Review/learn which parts of Safety-Organized Practice go into what parts of the work.» Review/learn how individual participant practice has changed or is changing.» Review/learn how organizational practice has changed or is changing. Appreciate the change that has occurred and continue to inspire further development of these practices. 7