1

The Safety in Partnership Approach

Transformation Through Supervision

Workshop – Wednesday 15th April 2015

Jennifer Mc Kinney Karen O’ Brien Deirdre Mahon

2

Aim of Today’s Presentation

To provide those present with an understanding of Safety in Partnership and its connection to the safeguarding of children and young people and how its use in supervision enhances that process and enables a transformative process of learning.

3

Safety in Partnership

Initially focused on cases bringing families and professionals together to map out the case (evidence based, brings together multiple perspectives and enhances assessment and analysis).

This enabled the development of a safety plan for the child(ren) which could be tested reviewed and monitored over time.

4

What is Safety in Partnership?

It is a Systemic, solution focused, evidence based approach, drawing on many traditional social work tools including, Family therapy, narrative therapy and brief therapy principles.

It includes reflective practice and in particular is based on developing meaningful relationships with Children and Families and social networks to build safety for children

5

What is Safety in Partnership?

Developed initially from ideas within New Beginnings (WHSCT), enhanced by visiting colleagues such as Andrew Turnell (Western Australia) and Sue Lohrbach Olmsted County USA and developed further within the WHSCT.

“There is no intervention that is neutral, it either enhances safety or it doesn’t” (Ellen Pence)

6

Why Use Safety in Partnership?

Child Protection Registration by itself does not keep children safe.

Most Child protection Plans are usually a list of Services.

This does not in itself keep children safe! Services are at Best just one means of helping build

meaningful safety for children. Intervention is what makes a difference.

7 6

8

So what difference will Safety in Partnership make?

Child protection plans on their own do not keep children safe.This approach expands the investigation of risk to encompass strengths and signs of safety that can be build upon to stabilize and strengthen the child’s and family’s situation.There is always an exception.Clear purpose, focus and sense of direction.There is also the need to build on the strengths of staff and teams which in turn strengthens their work with families.

9

So what difference will safety in partnership make?

Most change takes places in the context of a relationship.

How can the worker actually build meaningful relationships with parents and children in situations of suspected or substantiated child abuse and still deal rigorously with the safety of the child – importance of supervision.

10

Evaluation of Safety in Partnership carried out by:

Dr David Hayes

Professor John Pinkerton

Dr John Devaney

Dr Karen McGuigan

School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queen’s University, Belfast

Methodology

FOCUS GROUPS12 focus groups involving 99 participants:31 social work staff35 representatives from strategic/management groups33 professionals from other agencies/disciplines

CASE FILES18 closed social work case files relating to 18 families containing 44 children

11

CASE STUDIES19 current cases relating to 19 families containing 41 children. Analysis involved interviews with:22 parents/carers16 social workers13 social work managers11 professionals from other agencies/disciplines5 children/young people

12

Developing a Skilled Workforce & Learning from Practice

QUB evaluation found that:

Focus group and interview respondents reported that the use of SIP led to:

Opportunities for learning and skills development through training, supervision and the sharing of practice.

More reflection on practice.

Work that was more effectively planned and directed.

Most social workers and social work managers had received some level of training.

Suggested that more information could be provided to newly appointed workers (induction).

12

13

Relationships

‘Child protection work, at its heart, involves forming relationships with children, their family members and others working to support the child’.

(Munro E (2010) The Munro review of Child Protection Part One: A Systems Analysis).

14

First contact, first knock at the door, is the beginnings of a relationship.

Supervision is a place where these dynamics can be explored and reflected upon.

How you approach that, can make a difference to the outcome.

Use language that the children and families can understand.

Relationships

1515

THEN DETAIL!!

What are we worried about? Past harm, future danger, complicating factors

What is working well? Existing strengths and safety

What needs to happen? Future safety, agency goals, family goals, progress

Safety and context Scale

Judgement – on a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 is it is certain the child has been abused – to 10 – where 10 is there is sufficient safety to close the case

Danger/Harm

Risk Statements

Safety

Strengths/ Protective

Factors

Building Safety & Strengthening Families Practice Framework

GENOGRAM/ECOMAP

Client Name: Ref No: DATE:

Purpose/Focus of Consultation

Complicating Factors

Next Steps

(Immediate Progress)

Safety/Protection Required

Current Ranking

•Detail re incident (s) bringing the family to the attention of the agency.

•Pattern / history

•Who

•What

•Where

•When

•How

•Condition / behaviours that contribute to greater difficulty for the family.

•Presence of research based risk Factors

•Strengths demonstrated as protection over time.

•Pattern / history of exceptions

•Assets, resources, capacities within family, individual / community.

•Presence of research based protective factors.

•What is the worker / team looking for in this consult?

16

17

Why focus on Supervision?

“Good social work involves the capacity to develop and maintain relationships, manage the emotional dimension of the work and make judgements and decisions, often in the light of conflicting information. This is demanding work and will only be effective if social workers are encouraged to reflect critically on their practice and to continue developing their knowledge and skills.”

(Wonnacott, 2012)

Greater focus on the supervisor-supervisee relationship and its connection to the relationship with the family.

18

Why supervision?

On a scale of 1-10 how much has the quality of your social work/professional practice been affected by the type of supervision you have received?

(1= not affected at all and 10= has had huge affect)

19

Supervision

Managerialist model became dominant in the 1990s and into the 21st century.

A move from relationships, emotional impact and dynamics between social worker and family to a more practical approach focusing on caseloads, bureaucratic tasks and the management of resources.

20

Supervision

Child death inquiries have questioned the capacity of social workers to critically analyse their practice and manage complex dynamics.

Supervision needs to move beyond checking and accountability to a process that helps the worker “to think, to explain and to understand.”

(Brandon et al, 2008).

21

Supervision

Lord Laming’s Report (2009)

“Regular, high quality supervision is critical, as are routine opportunities for peer learning and discussion… Supervision should be open and supportive, focusing on the quality of decisions, good risk analysis and improving outcomes for children rather than meeting targets.” (para 3.15)

22

Supervision

England – Social Work Task Force (2009)- Supervision should enable social workers to “review their day-to-day practice and decision making, plan their learning and development as professionals, and work through the considerable emotional and personal demands the job often places on them.”

Munro review of child protection (2011)- recommended a style of supervision that gives social workers the reflective opportunity to think differently and creatively about how best to help children and families on their caseloads.

23

Supervision

What factors influence supervision within your context/organisation?

Is the supervision provided managerial or reflective?

24

A Systemic Approach

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Identifying individual strengths which when used as a team and as leaders/supervisors of teams can bring so much to the organisation.

25

Successful teams

Task – producing results through goals, work plans and timelines.

Process – managing processes.

People – blending the skills and knowledge of members.

26

SIP and SupervisionPerformance = Goals + Leadership Abilities + Culture

AGREEDGOALS

AGREEDGOALS

CULTURECULTURE

LEADERSHIP,ATTRIBUTES,

SKILLS &EI

BEHAVIOURS

LEADERSHIP,ATTRIBUTES,

SKILLS &EI

BEHAVIOURS

PERFORMANCE

2727

1. Agreed Goals

Three aspects to this

Practice Principles – crucially important – values and skills needed to do the work – supervision.

Mapping – clear purpose to work, information, analysis, structured decision making, inclusion of children and families – child’s voice is heard.

Safety planning – Social networks, Family support services involved.

28

2. Leadership Attributes, skills and EI (Emotional Intelligence) Behaviours

29

Higgs and Dulewicz (1999) definition of emotional intelligence:

“Achieving one’s goals through the ability to manage one’s own feelings and emotions, to be sensitive to and influence other key people and to balance one’s motives and drives with conscientious and ethical behaviour.”

30

7 elements of emotional intelligence

1. Self-awareness – awareness of own feelings and ability to manage/control those feelings. Aware of how your behaviour impacts on others around you. Includes as degree of self belief in one’s ability to manage one’s emotions and to control their impact in a work environment. "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." (Attributed to Anais Nin, French-born American writer, 1903-1977.)

2. Emotional resilience – performing consistently under pressure in range of situations and adapt behaviour appropriately. The ability to balance the needs of the situation and task with the needs and concerns of the individuals involved. Keeping focus on action/results.

31

7 elements of emotional intelligence

3. Motivation –drive and energy to achieve clear results, make an impact and balance short term and long term goals.

4. Interpersonal sensitivity – be aware of and take account of, the needs and perceptions of others when arriving at decisions and proposing solutions to problems/challenges. Involve team in team decisions.

"Understanding human needs is half the job of meeting them."

(Adlai Stevenson, 1900-1965)

32

7 elements of emotional intelligence

5. Influence – The ability to persuade others to change a viewpoint based on the understanding of their position and the recognition of the need to listen to this perspective and provide a rationale for change.

6. Intuitiveness – Arriving at clear decisions using rational and insightful perceptions of key issues and implications.

7. Conscientious – the ability to display clear commitment to a course of action in the face of challenge and encourage others to support the chosen direction. Personal commitment to pursuing an ethical solution to a difficult issue or problem. Having standards and a way of working e.g. practice principles.

33

3. Creating a Culture

Learning organisation.

From blaming culture to learning culture.

Effective working relationships.

Working towards better outcomes for children and

families.

Appreciative Inquiry.

34

3. Creating a Culture

“Cultures can be distinguished from each other by the differences in shared meanings they expect and attribute to their environment. It is not a thing, but the interaction of people. The difference in these interactions leads to different relationships within a group or organisation and determines the explicit culture.”

Cranwell-ward et al (2002)

35

Team/group supervision - Valuing Difference

“…bringing together a rich mix of people, with differing perspectives and from different backgrounds, and creating an environment in which their differences are valued. A vibrant, open and creative culture. A culture in which ideas flourish, where people thrive, grow and have fun. A culture where energy is unleashed.” Schneider (2001)

Worries

Risk Statements

Team Hypotheses/Reflecti

ons

Strengths

Supervision Tool- Safety in Partnership

ECOMAP/TIMELINE

Client Name: Ref No: DATE:

Purpose of Supervision/Present

ing Dilemma

Complicating Factors/Barriers

Next Steps

(Immediate Progress)

Safety/Protection Required

Current Ranking

•Detail re incident (s) bringing the family to the attention of the agency.

•Pattern / history

•Worries about ability to work case.

•Condition / behaviours that contribute to greater difficulty for the social worker/child/family.

•Presence of research based risk Factors

•What is the worker / team looking for in this supervision?

36