SAFETY ORGANIZED PRACTICE THE BASICS

A NEW CORE PRACTICE MODEL FOR CHILD WELFARE Old Practice: Adversarial, Deficit-based New Practice: Strength-based, family centered, collaborative Safety Organized Practice (SOP) is at the center of this new core practice

DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE DR is the method by which we make referral decisions Evaluate Out: No evidence of abuse or not enough evidence to investigate Path One: Referral to a Family Resource Center (FRC) * counts as an evaluate out Path Two: Joint visit with a FRC representative. Path Three: CPS Investigation

WHAT IS SAFETY-ORGANIZED PRACTICE? Structured Decision Making Signs of Safety Family/Child Team Meetings Motivational Interviewing Trauma-Informed Practice Partnership-Based Collaborative Practice Solution-Focused Interviewing Cultural Humility Appreciative Inquiry

THREE QUESTIONS THAT ORGANIZE THE INTERVIEW What are we worried about? What is working well? What needs to happen next?

"WHAT ARE WE WORRIED ABOUT?" Ask questions that reveal … CaregiverBehavior Impact on the child

COMPLICATING FACTORS Anything that complicates the work with the family that is not direct harm. Warning signs, red flags, issues that make the provision of protection more difficult but in and of themselves are not direct dangers. For Example: Mental illness, teenage parenting, poverty, low IQ, substance use

SAFETY NETWORKS

Goal of Safety Network: A group of people (family, friends, community people)committed to keeping a child(ren) safe.

BUILDING SAFETY NETWORKS: PRINCIPLES: CPS involvement in the family’s life is TEMPORARY. The network of PERMANENT support people implement the safety plan! Finding out who the family has already told about their CPS involvement & building on it is important to do right from the start of our work.

Family Safety Circles Tool People who don’t know anything at all People who know a little bit People who know everything CHIL D Building a Safety Network Who can help to keep the child safe? 1. Paternal Grandmother 1.Sister 2.Next door neighbor 3.Best friend 4.Aunt 5.Work friend

House of Good ThingsHouse of WorriesHouse of Wishes/Dreams INCLUDING THE CHILD’S VOICE

WHAT’S CHANGING? RED TEAMS FAMILY TEAMING FULL TIME FACILITATOR GROUP SUPERVISION SAFETY ORGANIZED PRACTICE