Workshop 1 Signs of Safety A Strengths Based Approach to keep children safe

1. Workshop 1Signs of Safety A Strengths Based Approach to keep children safe Jayne Forsdike Childrens Safeguarding Standards Manager

2. Workshop agenda • Overview SoS model • SoS in Newcastle • Early Intervention and SoS • Exercise • Feedback • Questions

3. Signs of Safety A model underpinned by solution focused ideas that gives a whole approach to CP work Engagement Partnership approach focusing on building safety rather than trying to eliminate danger Asking helpful questions Evidence based; searching for detail Organising Information Mapping Collaborative planning Harnessing professional and family ideas and resources

4. How Signs of Safety came about Turnell & Edwards Collaboration Interested in how SFBT fitted with Child Protection work Learning from what works well - looking at examples of good engagement

5. How do we build safety? We create safety through partnership and collaboration Partnership with parents/carers Collaboration between agencies

6. Characteristics of the tool Designed to be used with young people and their families Focuses on the key current issues Highlights what is already working well Can trigger immediate progress Developed from practice Only one page

8. Danger / Harm Descriptions of past harm Complicating factors Statements of danger regarding the children - Look for specific detail - Pay attention to language

9. Safety / Strengths What safety currently exists What are the strengths of this family Meaningful in terms of identified danger/harm SAFETY = STRENGTHS DEMONSTRATED AS PROTECTION OVER TIME

10. Scaling Safety Safety scale 0 = reoccurrence is certain, 10 = there is sufficient safety to closed the case

11. Creating planning through goal setting Defining the agency goals – required outcomes Defining the family goals – desired outcomes Building a safety plan WITH THE FAMILY

12. CASE EXAMPLE Sarah

13. Genogram STEPHEN JENNY DAVID SARAH 32 30 7

14. Danger / Harm Jenny has just started a relationship with Stephen who has been convicted and been in prison for downloading about 500 pornographic images of children. These were very serious images of children being sexually abused. Stephen met Jenny on the internet in June 2007, 2 months after being released from prison. The conditions of his release stipulated that he could not own or access the internet.

15. Danger / Harm - continued Stephen did not tell his supervising officer that he had used the internet or started a relationship Stephen still says he did not deliberately download the child pornography even though he had saved it on his computer. He has provided different explanations for example – ‘he was looking for adult pornography.’ Stephen created elaborately forged letters written as if they were from the prison Governor saying that he had been wrongfully convicted and subsequently pardoned and that that he posed no risk to children. Stephen showed this letter to Jenny, his doctor and prospective employers

16. Danger / Harm - continued Stephen’s supervising probation officer has assessed him as posing a high risk of re-offending Jenny believes Stephen and does not think he is a risk to children Stephen and Jenny say that Sarah has not met Stephen. Sarah told a teacher that mum has a new boyfriend and she has talked to him on the phone

17. Safety Mum agrees that Stephen will have no contact of any kind with Sarah whilst we carry out our enquiries For the next 6 months, Stephen has licence conditions preventing him living with any child under 16 years His supervising officer will have weekly contact with him whilst Stephen is on licence Strengths 1. Sarah goes to school every day and is achieving well 2. School have never been concerned about her 3. Jenny sees her dad and he plays an active role in her live 4. Sarah is meeting all of her developmental milestones 5. Sarah sees the doctor when necessary and has a dentist.

18. Scaling Danger 010 4 Sarah at risk of abuse from Stephen NFA

19. Additional information representing Danger / Harm Stephen’s sister has disclosed that when she was 7 and Stephen was 12, he got into bed with her and tried to sexually assault her 2. Stephen told the social worker that he was sexually abused by his step-dad when he was a child and that he was looking on the internet for material about child abuse that he could read to help him recover from his childhood experiences 3. Jenny and Stephen say that they plan to marry and live together in the future

20. Additional information representing Safety Sarah has confirmed to the social worker that she is not having any contact with Stephen Sarah's birth father has been made aware of the risks and will be checking that there isn’t any contact between Stephen and his daughter Sarah's maternal aunt has also been made aware of the risks. She is taking the concerns seriously Stephen’s sister sees the risks and has said that if she learns that Stephen is seeing Sarah, she will inform the agencies Sarah's school teachers have also been informed and are keeping a close eye on her

21. Scaling Danger 010 3 Sarah at risk of abuse from Stephen NFA

22. Recommendation The social worker has concluded that Stephen poses a significant risk of harm to Sarah and therefore a multi-agency child protection plan is needed in order to develop and maintain safety in the long term

23. Uses of Signs of Safety Assessments (including an adaptation for early intervention – Signs of Well-being) Tool for worker to organise their thinking Case consultations / Supervision Planning meetings Child protection conferences Being used around the country and around the world

24. Benefits of Signs of Safety Approach Increased confidence in workers Able to commit to assessments & judgments based on a balance of information/evidence Help workers get unstuck in difficult & protracted cases Minimal paperwork

25. Signs of Safety In Newcastle Implementation across children's workforce Practitioners and managers trained Champions identified with representation from key partner agencies Model of good practice Signs of Safety Pilot – Child Protection Conferences Training embedded through NSCB Evaluation

26. Early Interventionand Signs of Safety Grainne Fegan

27. Exercise