How a Signs of Safety approach is changing practice in Norfolk Andrea Brown Principal Social Worker Community Care- Live Tuesday 10 th May 2016
The Norfolk Context 2014 OFSTED
What did we need to do? Address paternalistic approaches to Child Protection Overcome Norfolk s insularity Challenge, rally and motivate staff Develop an overarching practice framework that will change our culture Embed improved quality and consistency Make a step change in the quality of partnerships Improve outcomes for children Signs of Safety is our primary vehicle for changing both practice and culture.
History of Signs of Safety Andrew Turnell & Steve Edwards Collaboration 1993 with 150 Practitioners Interested in how SFBT fitted with Child Protection Work. Key focus on safety Partnership and collaboration Relationships at the centre Child focused, family oriented Clear communication & expectations Respect and co-operation All families have signs of safety Every encounter is an opportunity for change A QUESTIONING APPROACH 4
Innovations Programme Working with Professor E. Munro, A. Turnell and T. Murphy. Comprehensive reform project to align Children s Services to the Signs of Safety practice. 10 Local Authorities, sharing learning. System wide change. - Early Help / NSCB / Partnership Board.
Philosophy and Principles Simple Language - If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself - SofS offers principles, disciplines and tools which practitioners can readily adopt and which families understand. - Focuses on building safety for the child in their everyday lives and using their voice. - Partnership with the family and their network is key - fewer professional / service solutions.
Principles Questioning Approach thinking critically, fostering a stance of inquiry Humility We are not the experts in the family Working relationships Constructive working relationships between professionals and family members, and between professionals themselves, are key to effective practice.
What is the Signs of Safety Approach? Constructed around a comprehensive risk assessment framework that involves everyone in the assessment (families and professionals) and that incorporates harm/danger, existing strengths/safety and future safety. Involves building relationships with all stakeholders that are focused on safety for children. A Questioning not an expert approach Practiced from a Stance of Humility about what we think we know Informed by Core & Practice Principles and Practice Elements From research and from what workers and families say is good practice! Supported by a Skill Base SFBT questioning Safety Planning Engaging Children Skillful Use of Authority Focused above all on BUILDING ENOUGH SAFETY/WELLBEING to close the case
What are we worried about? What s working well? What needs to happen? Past harm or difficulties Who, what, where, when, severity, incidence, impact Future danger or concern Worries for the future if nothing changes Complicating factors Things that make the situation more difficult to resolve Existing strengths Areas where things are going well or the seeds of change Existing safety/protection Strengths demonstrated as protection over time. These must directly relate to danger Future safety/wellbeing goals What will we see being done that will show us that the concerns have been addressed and professionals can step back from the family s life Next steps What needs to happen next to move a little closer towards achieving the goal Safety Scale 10 means everyone knows that things are going well enough and the children are safe enough for the case to be closed, and 0 means that things are so bad that we need to take action now Where do we rate the situation? What would we need to see happen to move up the scale? 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10
Comprehensive Risk Assessment Family Knowledge Network and Culture Danger Balanced Assessment of Risk Safety Professional Knowledge Network and Authority 2000Andrew Turnell PO Box 56 Burswood WA 6100 Australia, aturnell@iinet.com.au
Meetings run using Signs of safety Danger Statements Harm Statements Worry Statements What we are worried about which means that services are involved in your life The How Safety Goals Wellbeing Goals Success Goals What things will look like when we are ready to step down or close the case Professionals and family members collaborate or the professionals take the lead in identifying what they are worried about Professionals support families to take the lead in identifying how they and their network will demonstrate that things are better Professionals and family members collaborate or the professionals take the lead in identifying what they need to see to close the case
Words and Pictures 1. A storyboard (words and pictures) for children to help them understand events that are difficult for adults around them to talk about 2. Parents and worker develop the words together using the family s own words. 13
Signs of Safety Training Excellent feedback from all training Two day training - 1432 delegates of whom 383 from partners Voluntary Sector have funded a further 65 places Action for Children have self-funded 60 places Five day training - 172 staff, 8 of whom are partners Briefings - Central and locally based events across Norfolk ranging from 2 hour workplace briefings to full day workshops 90 Partner briefing sessions to 1423 staff 51 One-to-one & group development sessions to 570 staff 10 Partner mapping sessions to 60 staff 4 Foster carer briefings Monthly SofS newsletters to staff and partners
Where are we now? (Journey of a child) SofS based Early Help (CAF) FSP about to be launched Thresholds Discussion Document Multi-agency Referral Form MASH Form accommodates SofS and Family Support Single Assessment SofS Conference Process and Recording launched June 2015 QA/audit, using SofS and strongly advocating SofS LAC, Reviews in place GOOD BUT STILL WORK IN PROGRESS
Comments from Ofsted (2015) The Signs of Safety approach to child protection practice is providing an established framework to help identify risk and protective factors and is beginning to achieve improvements in social work practice. The Signs of Safety framework is used well (in MASH) to consider risk and protective factors... Many assessments seen are now of a good quality, use the Signs of Safety framework and include an effective analysis of risk and protective factors to support effective planning for children to better target their individual needs. The Signs of Safety project is enabling the partnership (arrangements) to develop a more consistent approach to identifying risk. The inspection saw early evidence in casework, case recording and supervision of this (Signs of Safety) model providing a clear and analytical approach to social work. Social workers reported it being helpful in their practice.
Quality of partnerships Paternalistic approaches So far exceeded expectation, strong buy-in from EH, YOT, HV, Prob., some District Councils, MH Trust, Foster Carers programme, Schools event. On target but needs to keep focus, audit positive. CP Conferences in place. Insularity of practice Ongoing work post EIP- particularly with Suffolk 5 Challenge, rally and motivate staff Practice framework and culture Celebration Day. Front line staff very enthusiastic, embracing the culture and tools of SofS. LAC celebration event planned Increasingly being adopted SofS tools showing strongly and positively in audits (65% non LAC Dec 15). More to do in LAC (24% - Dec 15). ICT procurement 2018 Consistency of practice An improving picture 6 6 6 7 6 Improve outcomes for children Quality Showing well in audit and user feedback. Improved voice of the child. Good early feedback from CPC s and LAC. 6
Parents feedback Parents comments after introduction of SofS methods at CP conferences: Much better way the meeting has been held. Clearer and more positive. Found everything helpful, especially the bottom line. Everything was explained well before and during the meeting. The new system is really good. Parents get lots of say!! The way things were set out on boards made it much easier to understand and have input towards. I felt really involved in the meeting as an equal rather than the subject.
Celebration Event
900 2600 800 2344 2328 Children Subject to Child in Need Plans 2050 CHILDREN SUBJECT TO PLANS DECEMBER 2014 - Dec 2015 2400 2200 700 1924 1910 1850 1797 1638 1717 1762 1779 1828 2000 1800 600 500 595 582 587 570 557 561 Children Subject to Child Protection Plans 522 509 486 1461 1473 1504 458 448 449 479 473 472 1600 1400 1200 400 2 day SofS Training Commences Dec 2014 1000 800 300 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 600
900 2600 800 2344 2328 Children Subject to Child in Need Plans 2050 CHILDREN SUBJECT TO PLANS DECEMBER 2014 - Dec 2015 2400 2200 700 1924 1910 1850 1797 1638 1717 1762 1779 1828 2000 1800 600 500 595 582 587 570 557 561 Children Subject to Child Protection Plans 522 509 486 1461 1473 1504 458 448 449 479 473 472 1600 1400 1200 400 2 day SofS Training Commences Dec 2014 Chairs trained 1000 800 300 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 600
900 2600 800 2344 2328 Children Subject to Child in Need Plans 2050 CHILDREN SUBJECT TO PLANS DECEMBER 2014 - Dec 2015 2400 2200 700 1924 1910 1850 1797 1638 1717 1762 1779 1828 2000 1800 600 500 595 582 587 570 557 561 Children Subject to Child Protection Plans 522 509 486 1461 1473 1504 458 448 449 479 473 472 1600 1400 1200 400 2 day SofS Training Commences Dec 2014 Chairs trained 27 th June SofS introduced for CP 1000 800 300 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 600
900 2600 800 2344 2328 Children Subject to Child in Need Plans 2050 CHILDREN SUBJECT TO PLANS DECEMBER 2014 - Dec 2015 2400 2200 700 1924 1910 1850 1797 1638 1717 1762 1779 1828 2000 1800 600 500 595 582 587 570 557 561 Children Subject to Child Protection Plans 522 509 486 1461 1473 1504 458 448 449 479 473 472 1600 1400 1200 400 2 day SofS Training Commences Dec 2014 Chairs trained 27 th June SofS introduced for CP Sept. 2015 Departmental restructuring 1000 800 300 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16 600
1080 LAC CHILDREN Dec 2014 Feb 2016 1075 1070 1065 8 th June 2015 SofS Introduced for LAC Reviews 1060 1055 1050 1045 1040 1035 1070 1074 1070 1067 1064 1068 1052 1066 1053 1059 1054 1041 1043 1048 1042 1030 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16
Overall Caseload Reduction of 642 Caseload reduction Cases CIN -516 CP -098 LAC -028 Total -642
Cash Equivalence of Reduction of 642 cases Impact of caseload reduction Cash Equivalence 27 social work caseloads of 24 1,010,934 3 x Team Managers 151,875 3 x ATM s 132,741 Total 1,295,550 Doesn t include savings in placement costs Assumes caseload of 24
Growing practice depth and improving organisational alignment Future Governance Calling to account, keeping us on track. NSCB Reporting to Board Local LSCG s Training 2 day course, LSCB run 5 day course, In house Leadership, Support and Challenge in Children s Services In house steering group chaired by A.D. Adopted by Adult Services- Signs of Wellbeing International Signs of Safety event- hosted by Norfolk
In Summary Feedback from front line workers, children and parents has been excellent Signs of Safety has been a breath of fresh air, motivational and has focused the whole partnership on improving the quality of practice It has enabled very important discussions about culture, the ethos of social work, respectful engagement with children and families and humility LAC service beginning to get traction LSCB will take a lead role from here on CS will continue to drive forward All forms on the new ICT system will be aligned to SofS Still much to do, but a lot of positivity to get it done
Thanks for listening! Any questions? Andrea Brown Principal Child and Family Social Worker