Fourth International Signs of Safety Gathering

Van Montfoort Consultancy and Resolutions Consultancy are proud to announce the Fourth International Signs of Safety Gathering will be held in the Netherlands in September 2011.

 
This Gathering will feature:

• Presentations from the leading Signs of Safety practitioners and agencies from around the world
• Presentations from Bureaus Jeugdzorg Drenthe and Zeeland who lead the Netherlands in the use of this approach
• Sessions focused on Signs of Safety practice leadership and supervision
• Two sessions on management and organisational process that builds the Signs of Safety approach. Terry Murphy, Director General of the Western Australian Department for Child Protection, will lead this aspect of the Gathering
• Concluding reflection session by Professor Eileen Munro.

Interest in the Signs of Safety is growing exponentially in Europe, North America and Australia, with full-scale implementations of the model currently underway in at least 46 jurisdictions in 11 different countries. The Signs of Safety approach is creating enormous energy and interest because it is focused on what actually works for front-line practitioners. The Signs of Safety gatherings provide the opportunity for participants to hear the leading exponents of the approach describe what Signs of Safety means at its best. There will only be one presentation stream throughout the gathering with no concurrent sessions. This builds energy and focus because all participants hear the same presentations and share the same learning journey over the two and a half days of the event.

The Netherlands Gathering is modeled on the three previous international Signs of Safety Gatherings (Gateshead 2005 and 2008, and Minnesota in March 2010). The Gatherings are critical events which accelerate the ongoing evolution of Signs of Safety, as professionals and agencies using the approach learn from the successes, struggles, specialties, refinements and variations of their peers. Special attention at this gathering will be given to the issues of practice leadership and organizational implementation. The Gathering is strictly limited to 300 participants and places will be taken up quickly.

The Netherlands Gathering will break new ground to enhance the learning opportunities for all attendees by using interactive film and web-based processes to directly involve participants in giving feedback and asking questions in realtime during the program. The Netherlands Gathering will also be streamed live on the web which will enable those not able to be in Leiden to purchase access to the event and presentations. Web participants will also be able to directly participate in the gathering through a web-based digital feedback process. We recommend that all digital participants view this page to test their ability to receive the live stream before the gathering begins to avoid disappointment.

As with all great professional gatherings, some of the best learning and benefit comes through the connections and relationships that occur around the formal program. Following the tradition of previous Signs of Safety gatherings and to foster the opportunities to build informal connections, there will be a dinner and dance party on Tuesday evening. The dinner is registered for separately to the gathering, you can do so here.

Program

A draft copy of the programme listing the individual presentations is available here.

Monday and Tuesday
On both Monday and Tuesday mornings, there will be two 60-minute presentations focusing particularly on organizations that have been implementing the Signs of Safety ap- proach for a significant period.
In the afternoons there will be five 30-minute presentations from individual practitioners and agencies.

Tuesday morning will also feature the first of two presentations from Terry Murphy, Director General of the Department for Child Protection in Western Australia. On Tuesday, Terry will make an initial 45 minute overview presentation looking at the issues involved in implementing the Signs of Safety through all aspects of case practice based on the implementation within his agency. He will reflect on the reasons to choose Signs of Safety, the steps, the successes, the challenges and the lessons learned.

Wednesday
On Wednesday morning, Terry Murphy will head a panel of Senior Managers and Directors exploring the issue of implementation. Each panel member will describe their own key experiences in implementation and the panel will also respond to participants’ feedback and questions stimulated from Terry’s Tuesday presentation.

Professor Eileen Munro, who will have completed the Munro Review into the English Child Protection system by mid 2011, will participate in the Signs of Safety Gathering drawing the event to a
close by providing her reflections on the presentations she has heard. Professor Munro’s contribution will engage all participants in reflecting on their learning and struggles and will connect the presentations to the bigger issues that always swirl around, intersect and drive child protection practice. This final session will help all participants think more broadly about the connections between their own contexts and current policy and social issues that face all child protection practitioners and organizations and assist us as we seek to build more collaborative child protection methods.

The Gathering will close with a dynamic audio/visual recap and reprise of the Gathering presentations and experiences interspersed with feedback from Gathering participants.
The Gathering will end by 12.30pm Wednesday followed by lunch.

Digital Participation

For the first time, agencies and practitioners can view and participate in the Signs of Safety Gathering through live streaming of the event and web recording. Digital participants will be able to watch the gathering live and interact with presenters in real time. They will also have ongoing access to videos and materials first via the web, and later on a complete DVD Package of the Gathering will be provided to individuals and agencies who are Digital Participants. This is an invaluable resource for any agency or practitioner wanting to make use of the Signs of Safety.

Digital participants will have access to:

• A complete live web stream of all the Gathering presentations
• All presenters' materials (PowerPoints, images, PDF documents etc...)
• Digital access to all written materials including the Gathering program provided through the Digital Participants' webpage
• Next day on-demand access to videos of all presentations
• Full DVD recorded package of the Gathering will be sent to Digital Participants by end of November 2011
• The live feedback and questions board (visible to onsite participants on one of the main projectors)
  Live feedback and questions can be submitted by either email or SMS

Instructions and technical requirements for viewing the live stream and interacting with live feedback can be found here.

Digital Participation Options

Digital Individual - $135 AUD (Approx. €100 Euro)
For individuals wishing to participate.
- Includes a full DVD Package.

Digital Group - $440 AUD (Approx. €325 Euro)
For multiple participants who wish to participate in the Gathering from one location.
- Includes a full DVD Package.

Digital Organisational - $900 AUD (Approx. €660 Euro)
For organisations wishing to make the resource available to anyone within their organisation and view materials from multiple locations.
- Includes 2 full DVD Packages

Next day videos and presentations materials are also available to all regular participants.

Videos and presentation materials will be exclusively available to both regular and digital participants for the first month after the event. After this time a selection of presentations will be made available for free public access.

Organising and Leading Effective Child Protection Practice

On the Wednesday afternoon after the Signs of Safety Gathering we will be holding a half day workshop for child protection leaders called Organising and Leading Effective Child Protection Practice with Eileen Munro, Terry Murphy, Andrew Turnell and Adri van Montfoort.

This is an independent event. More information and registration details can be found here.

Venue

We are delighted that the Hogeschool Leiden, a University of Applied Sciences which has a strong focus on social work, youth care and child protection research and education, has agreed to host the Gathering. The old university city of Leiden itself is conveniently situated between Amsterdam and Den Haag, and close to Schiphol Airport and offers a wonderful setting for the Gathering. Built around a central old town, this historic city offers the beautiful canals, parks and architecture that makes for a classic Dutch experience.

View Fourth International Signs of Safety Gathering - September 2011 in a larger map

Accommodation

We have made special arrangements with the Holiday Inn, Tulip Inn and Van der Valk Casino to provide accommodation for Gathering participants at the best possible price.
The Holiday Inn and Tulip Inn are within walking distance of the Hogeschool Leiden. Van der Valk Casino is 8km or 20 minutes away by shuttle or public transport.
Please note that accommodation is not included with Gathering registration and will need to be booked separately.

To book hotels at the negotiated rates, please call the hotels and mention the reservation code SOS2011

Van der Valk Hotel Casino Sassenheim
Warmonderweg 8
2171 AH SASSENHEIM
00 31 252 21 90 19

• Economy € 70.00 per room (1 or 2 pp)
• 65 rooms; booking before July 1, 2011
• Comfort € 95.00 per room (1 or 2 pp)
• 60 rooms; booking before July 1, 2011
• Breakfast not included
• Distance to Hogeschool Leiden: 8 km

Holiday Inn Leiden
Haagse Schouwweg 10
2332 KG LEIDEN
00 71 535 55 55

• € 135.00 per room (1p); € 160.00 per room (2pp);
• € 185.00 per room (3pp); € 210.00 per room (4pp).
• Breakfast included
• 50 rooms; booking before July 5, 2011
• Distance to Hogeschool Leiden: 1 km

Tulip Inn Leiden
Schipholweg 3
2316 XB LEIDEN
00 31 71 408 35 00

• € 129.00 per room (1 or 2 pp)
• Breakfast not included
• 25 rooms; booking before June 15, 2011
• Distance to Hogeschool Leiden: 1 km. Close to Leiden Central Station and old city

Gathering Dinner and Party

On Tuesday evening we will hold a dinner and party with entertainment at the seaside Strandpaviljoen Willy Zuid. Buses will be providing transport from the Hogeschool to the Strandpaviljoen and back to the recommended hotels at the end of the evening. This event has been a real highlight of past gatherings and will include a band to get us on our feet dancing.
The dinner will be buffet style and will cost an extra $75 AUD (Aprox €55). You can register and pay for the dinner here.

Cancellation Policy

Refunds of payments (less 15% booking fee) will be made if notification is received by August 5th before the gathering takes place. We will not be able to refund payments if cancellation is made after that date, however participants are welcome to send substitutes. In the latter case please email the name of the replacement to registrations@ signsofsafety.net