Our Signs of Safety Implementation Story

September 2012

Beverley Edwards Service and Staff Development Officer

Setting the Scene

•  CCARAT Team (Initial Response) •  Locality Teams x4 •  Child and Family Disability •  Fostering (1) & Looked after children x2 •  Family and Friends Placement Team •  Adoption Team •  Service Quality Unit (Chairs) •  Family Support Team •  Approximately 350 staff •  Approximately 2,300 open cases •  Population of 240,000

Contemplation Aware a problem exists. No commitment to action

Relapse Fall back into old

patterns of behaviour

Pre-contemplation No intention of

changing behaviour

Preparation Intent upon taking action

Action Active modification

of behaviour

Maintenance Sustained change:

new behaviour replaces old

Stages of Change: The Transtheoretical Model (Prochaska & DiClemente)

Stuck in a Practice Maze Pre-contemplation stage

Workforce & Re-organisation Case Loads-Re-referrals Financial Pressures Welsh Government Agenda Serious Case Reviews Special Measures Performance Indicator driven ICS

Why Signs of Safety? Contemplation Stage Recognising our staff Reflected on Our Vision &

our practice Change and Munro Listening to staff & SOS ‘Framework for practice for us’ & Re-light our fire -

hope

Training Preparation Stage

Commitment to learning Solution Focussed Thinking, Communications and Language Signs of Safety Mentoring in Meetings Our vision presented to the Local Safeguarding Board Members

Multi-Agency Partners & Targeting

Progress so far Action Stage – Using SOS

Using the tools Mapping in supervision, consultations, multi agency meetings and for teams Safety plans Practice Groups Conference Unit & Pilot Steering Group

Where Next? Achieving Maintenance

SOS Project Leader Steering Group & Membership Training Budget Commitment Promoting our practice vision Reviewing our Resources Communications internally and externally Growing practice depth ICS & Munro Exercise Policy and Procedure Evaluating

A Mountain

In the clouds with no map

Dad convicted sex offender LA involvement: Dad moves out of the family

home, supervised contact, child placed on at risk register, issue care proceedings.

Court involvement (2.5years) – Finding of Fact hearing, Final Hearing, 4 expert psychological assessments, court of appeal – no risk management plan (pre-occupied by the level of risk posed by dad).

In the clouds with a map

•  Proposed new approach (SOS) discussed with parents.

•  Parents and grandparents undertake some preparatory work.

•  Safety Mapping meeting convened.

We meet on the summit

•  Danger statement co-written and plan developed by mum, dad, grandparents, SSD, School, Health Visitor.

And the Journey together back to base camp begins

•  Self-Protective work – Good Touch/Bad Touch (Pictures)

•  Picture book compiled by mum, dad and child to illustrate who is to be with her and when.

•  Mum and Dad are currently working on Words and Pictures with a number of examples they have been offered.

“Thanks for giving us a chance. It means a lot to us and for K to have her family around her. I know we have a long way to go but if one day I can read her a bed time story and we can sit around the table as a family for dinner in the evenings…that’ll mean a lot to me.”

Dad.