Signs of Safety

Elia (the home of Signs of Safety) was pleased to hold the first in-person leadership event held in Ontario and hosted at the offices of the Toronto Children’s Aid Society. The event brought over 70 senior level leaders together from 17 different organisations.
The purpose of the day was to bring 'provincial leaders' together, to share and learn about what is going well, discuss the challenges to Whole System Implementation and how to implement and sustain meaningful change.
Led by Professor Eileen Munro and with rich, detailed presentations from Toronto Children's Aid Society, Kawartha-Haliburton CAS and York Region CAS, it was truly a momentous event.
We hope to lead another event similar to this in our countries in the future as it was so beneficial to all who attended!

A reminder if you haven't registered for our upcoming Leadership event in Toronto, you need to hurry! Tickets are selling extremely well — don't forget this is also a wonderful opportunity to network with your peers and exchange ideas and processes ☺️
https://www.signsofsafety.net/events/implementation-one-day-leadership-event/

TICKETS GO ON SALE THIS FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY AT 8AM EST (TORONTO)

If you're in Toronto and are a senior leader or higher, this workshop is for you!
Full details here: https://www.signsofsafety.net/events/implementation-one-day-leadership-event/

Did you guess who our guest faculty was for our upcoming Leadership Event in Toronto? 👀

That's right — we are honoured to have Professor Eileen Munro as our guest faculty for this in-person event! Professor Munro has researched and written extensively on how to improve reasoning in child protection work and is extremely well respected in the field.

Ticket will go on sale soon, but make sure you don't miss out by registering your interest for this event ASAP!

https://www.signsofsafety.net/events/implementation-one-day-leadership-event/

Have you registered your interest yet for our upcoming in-person event in Toronto, 11 April 2024?

This event is for CEOs, COO/DOSs, Service Directors and Senior Leaders and will take you on a learning journey, sharing your successes, barriers, achievements and challengers towards the goal of whole system implementation and long-term sustainability of the Signs of Safety approach.

PLUS: We have just had the very exciting news of a fantastic guest presenter! While we won't reveal her name yet, here are some clues...

1. She has a background in philosophy and social work
2. She is internationally recognised for her work in researching typical errors of practice and reasoning in child protection
3. Her work has been cited over 9500 times in publications

Tickets will go on sale very soon, but right now you can register your interest here! https://www.signsofsafety.net/events/implementation-one-day-leadership-event/

The majority of children caught up in child protection do not understand why children’s services is involved and if they are in care, why they cannot live with the own family. Children are often confused because that have been told or overheard many different conflicting stories. For parents there is also usually a huge amount of shame connected to the abuse and neglect that brought children’s services into their lives and it is usually very hard for them to find words to speak about the problems.

The Words and Pictures work addresses the trauma and secrecy by creating an explanation for the children with the parents. The Words and Pictures story then becomes the foundation for and 50% of safety planning because you can’t safety plan what you can’t talk about.

This photo shows a recent team session at an organisation in Sweden and a caseworker who is working with a family of a 7 year old with learning disabilities. The organisation has just recently implemented Signs of Safety and this is the caseworker's first Words and Pictures explanation to a child and explanation why child protection services is involved in their family. This case has now become a learning case.

It was exciting to see the engagement from all the 15+ workers and Manager who gathered around the table watching one of their colleagues creating the short version of Words and Pictures. She did this in less than 5 minutes!

Do you apply Words and Pictures in your own work with families? What has worked best for you?

We're excited to announce a new product in our online store!

The Appreciative Inquiry Workbook for Signs of Safety Whole Systems Implementation is the work of licensed Signs of Safety Licensed Trainers and Consultants, Fred Magie and Manna Van 't Slot and has been in the making over several years.

Whether you are curious about Signs of Safety or working on a whole system implementation, this workbook aims to give you knowledge and guidance in the use of Appreciative Inquiry in an environment of reflection and shared learning.

The workbook is also chock-full of interactive exercises so you can start to use Appreciative Inquiry in your own practice.

The workbook is available as a digital download from the link below. BUT if you have a Signs of Safety Knowledge Bank subscription, it's on the Knowledge Bank for you to download FREE of charge! 😍

https://www.signsofsafety.net/product/appreciative-inquiry-workbook-for-signs-of-safety-whole-systems-implementation/

Congratulations to the Children's Aid Society of Toronto, recently named as a top employer by The Globe and Mail in Canada. Toronto CAS has a fantastic rate of retention for employees, learning and development programs and focus on mental health and wellbeing, with nearly 200 courses available for workers.
One key focus is how to better apply the Signs of Safety assessment framework in their practice with children and their families.
Read the full article here:

CAS of Toronto helps employees help others Paid Post

When working with families, the simplest images are always the best. The same approach works just as well in the training room!

This beautiful little drawing came from one of our Signs of Safety licensed trainers and consultants, Lotte Strik, during her work in management training. The text translated reads: How to ensure that protocols/systems and human work go hand in hand.

A case recording solution is a critical system that seeks to systematise and document complex children’s services work in an environment where requirements are constantly changing. Even the best designed IT solution needs to be regularly reviewed for its effectiveness, focusing particularly on the extent to which it is meeting the needs of users.

The team at Elia , the home of Signs of Safety, can help you with this! Contact [email protected] for a conversation about how a Health Check could help your organisation! 🩺

Sarah Codrington, our licensed Signs of Safety Trainer based in the Northern Territory, Australia, has just been awarded a Chief Minister Award for excellence in the public sector for her work implementing Signs of Safety, Safe and Together and CARE (client case management system).
We are very proud of Sarah and wish her many congratulations! Read the full article here:

Signs of Safety Trainer wins Chief Minister Award for excellence - Signs of Safety Sarah Codrington, our licensed Signs of Safety Trainer based in the Northern Territory, Australia, has just been awarded a Chief Minister Award for excellence in the public sector for her work implementing Signs of Safety, Safe and Together and CARE …

Good article on South Gloucestershire Council including how the Signs of Safety model assists them in growing their workforce
https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2023/11/07/reducing-social-work-vacancies-through-meaningful-career-development/ 💪

Reducing social work vacancies through meaningful career development It is no secret that local authorities in England are struggling to recruit permanent social workers: one in five children’s social work posts lay vacant in September 2022. However, even during this challenging time nationally, South Gloucestershire council has been able to grow its permanent work...

North Lincolnshire Council recently received a rating of Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted, the national organisation which regulates and inspects children’s services across the United Kingdom.

In fact, this is the third consecutive year that they have been rated Outstanding which is a fantastic achievement.

You can read the details in the link below! Congratulations North Lincolnshire!

www.signsofsafety.net

North Yorkshire Council have just been rated as ‘outstanding’ in all areas of the latest Ofsted report. This achievement is all the more impressive as this is their second ‘outstanding’ in all areas in a row — the previous being 2018.

The report particularly noted the impact of leaders on social work practice. You can read about the highlights of the report in our news article

Putting children at the heart of practice produces outstanding results for North Yorkshire - Signs of Safety North Yorkshire Council have just been rated as ‘outstanding’ in all areas of the latest Ofsted report. This achievement is all the more impressive as this is their second ‘outstanding’ in all areas in a row — the previous being …

Benjamin Franklin reputedly said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. Whoever said it, nothing could be truer when it comes to child protection safety planning.
In this workshop we will explore how to prepare for safety planning sessions as well as looking at the key safety issues, how professionals can know whether the family and safety network are actually following the safety plan, and whether they will stick with it after the professionals close the case.
This is the fourth workshop in a series of four online practice workshops for 2023.
Tickets are available now and selling fast! https://www.signsofsafety.net/events/safety-planning-preparation-monitoring-and-review/

Safety planning is a complex task that needs to involve professionals, parents, children and the family’s own safety network. To create a strong safety plan that will last, everyone involved needs to understand and agree the goal, all the steps involved in achieving the goal and the time period for the work.
This workshop will focus on how professionals can create a clear agreed timeline and trajectory to motivate parents and simplify safety planning work for practitioners.
This is the third workshop in a series of four online practice workshops for 2023.
Tickets are available now and selling fast! https://www.signsofsafety.net/events/safety-planning-timeline-and-trajectory/

This workshop will give an opportunity for participants to grow their skill in the use of Appreciative Inquiry and to understand what makes this way of learning the “engine room of Signs of Safety”. We will look at the hard question of how Appreciative Inquiry might be included in day-to-day practice in the midst of competing demands experienced by all child protection professionals.
Fred and Manna will share highlights of their experiences and reflections found in their newly released Appreciative Inquiry Workbook and will lead a conversation about how Appreciative Inquiry is foundational to the implementation of Signs of Safety.
This is the second workshop in a series of four online practice workshops for 2023.
Tickets are available now and selling fast! https://www.signsofsafety.net/events/appreciative-inquiry/

Explaining to parents what the professionals are worried about and what the child protection agency needs to see to be satisfied the children are safe are the bookends of all Signs of Safety practice. Establishing a clear safety scale ties the danger statement and safety goal together enabling professionals and families to discuss progress and establishing the foundation for the safety planning work.

While the concepts are simple, getting good at this collaborative work of analysis requires care and practice. In this workshop, participants will explore the key elements of danger statements, safety goals and safety scales, discuss the challenges and practise the group supervision method of preparing them. This is the first workshop in a series of four online practice workshops for 2023.

Tickets are available NOW and selling fast! https://www.signsofsafety.net/events/analysis-danger-statements-safety-goals-and-safety-scaling-questions/

Back in the office after an extended period working from home? 💻
Has your practice team had a high turnover since COVID-19? 🔁
Now’s the time to refresh your Signs of Safety skills and strength your practice! 💪

We are really excited to announce some upcoming online practice workshops!

This series of four online, three-hour practice workshops will focus on building practitioners’ skills in applying Signs of Safety in their everyday work with children, parents, their support network and professional partners.

All workshops will be run using Zoom and places will be limited. Workshops are GBP40 per person and will run from 12:30pm – 3:30pm UTC+0 which would suit practitioners in the UK and Ireland, Europe, Canada and the USA.

These workshops will be run later in the year in Dutch for native Dutch speakers. Deze workshops worden later dit jaar in het Nederlands gegeven 🇳🇱

Tickets are on sale NOW so head over to https://bit.ly/3XVYL7P and register now! 😍

Elia Board Director Carol Martin has received the Order of Australia Medal in recognition of her service to the Parliament of Western Australia and to the Indigenous community as part of the King’s Birthday Honours list.

We are incredibly proud of Carol and especially now that her achievements in giving The Kimberley Indigenous community a voice has been recognised. Congratulations Carol!

Carol Martin receives the Order of Australia Medal - Signs of Safety Elia Board Director Carol Martin has received the Order of Australia Medal in recognition of her service to the Parliament of Western Australia and to the Indigenous community as part of the King’s Birthday Honours list. We are already honoured …

Back in the office after an extended period working from home? 💻
Has your practice team had a high turnover since COVID-19? 🔁
Now’s the time to refresh your Signs of Safety skills and strengthen your practice! 💪

We are really excited to announce some upcoming online practice workshops! 🙌

Watch this space...👀

Did you know there is a resource on the Signs of Safety Knowledge Bank for organisations who have implemented the Signs of Safety? ❔

Called the Signs of Safety Resource and Logo Usage Guidelines document, the resource is designed to help organisations maintain the fidelity of Signs of Safety while allowing them the flexibility to integrate Signs of Safety materials into their internal training, systems and processes ✅

If your organisation implements Signs of Safety, make sure you download ⬇️the free resource now at https://knowledgebank.signsofsafety.net/resources/information-and-support/branding-and-style-guides/resource-and-logo-usage-guidelines/resource-and-logo-usage-guidelines

Elia International Ltd, the home of Signs of Safety, is ready to appoint our next Chief Executive Officer who will be involved in the day-to-day operation of the company and continue to lead and sustain our ambitions, growth and worldwide partnerships.
If you feel this could be your passion and want to learn more about the criteria for this leadership role, please head over to our website for the job description where you can upload your covering letter and resume to apply.
Closing date is 18 May 2023.

Chief Executive Officer — Elia Vacancy for the Chief Executive Officer

For the second inspection in a row (the previous being in 2018), the London Borough of Bexley was judged as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills in the UK!
Bexley is now only the second local authority in the United Kingdom to have achieved two successive findings of outstanding under Ofsted.
Bexley has been implementing the Signs of Safety approach as their practice framework across its services since the end of 2017, and are an exemplary representation of a firmly embedded model of practice within an implementation!
Many congratulations Bexley! 🥳

A firmly embedded model of practice - Signs of Safety The London Borough of Bexley was recently inspected by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills in the UK. These inspections focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements: to help and protect children …

On Australia Day 26 January, which is probably better referred to as Invasion Day, co-creator of the Signs of Safety approach, Andrew Turnell, was granted a Member of the Order of Australia award “for significant service to the protection of children through social welfare initiatives”.

Although Andrew is grateful for the award, he acknowledges that there is a huge amount of change still needed in child protection system and shares his frustrations about this.

Read the article below:

Andrew Turnell receives a Member of the Order of Australia award - Signs of Safety Andrew Turnell receives a Member of the Order of Australia award Elia / January 30, 2023 Professor Andrew Turnell On Australia Day 26 January, which is probably better referred to as Invasion Day, co-creator of the Signs of Safety approach, Andrew Turnell, was granted a Member of the Order of Austra...