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Gathering 2010 - Tuesday 1330 - Hamilton CAS

Submitted by adrian on 15 May 2010 - 12:23am
in

The Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton presents

Building Relationships, Creating Safety – Our journey using Signs of Safety

By making connections with others using the Signs of Safety Approach, the Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton has embarked on a journey of change towards a collaborative, safety-focused, strengths-based approach to work with families and children.

We will:

  • Share about the different stages of our journey and how we have changed in our approach to families, children and each other.
  • Discuss how mapping and using appreciative inquiry has taught us to pay close attention to what is happening “in the moment” with children and families, to seek strengths, and use them to build plans.
  • Provide examples from the family’s perspective on how using the Signs of Safety tools shaped the work done with our staff and how it impacted the outcomes for children

Presenters:
Shannon May – Child Protection Worker
Michelle Taylor
Fred Magie – Supervisor
Karen Chardola – Supervisor
Shawn Chisholm - Manager

Abstract
It has been two short years since the introduction of Signs of Safety to our agency. Becoming acquainted with Signs of Safety sparked enthusiasm to learn more and quickly set the stage to explore changes in our practice.

We are excited about the possibility of presenting our work using the Signs of Safety approach. Our hope is that by sharing and reflecting on how our experience has impacted the families in our community, others will be inspired and encouraged in their own work and we will become more aware of the “next steps” for ourselves.

Presentation
Introductions – 5 minutes

  • Rosina will introduce herself and the different presenters giving each person a few moments to say hello and describe their role in the agency
  • Rosina will provide a brief overview of our agency

Our Journey

Part One – Trip to Gateshead, England – 5 minutes

  • Rosina will talk about the significance of attending the “Gathering” at Gateshead the experience ignited a vision for our work with families and children
  • Rosina will highlight how meeting the folks from Carver County at Gateshead was the beginning of a relationship between our two agencies centered around mutual learning and encouragement in applying the Signs of Safety practice principals

Part Two – Sharing Inspiration and Clarifying our Commitment– 5 minutes

  • Karen will describe how change in our agency started with a group of supervisors who believed in the importance of change and saw how Signs of Safety was an opportunity to re-invigorate and enhance our practice in a sustainable manner.
  • Rosina will briefly talk about how efforts were made to have other supervisors reflect on their own values and compare with the Signs of Safety practice principles in order to confirm that Signs of Safety was a good fit for us.

Part Three – The Trip to Carver County, MN– 5 minutes

  • Fred, Karen, and Rosina will describe how the relationship between our agency and Carver County was further developed through a visit to Chaska in March, 2009
  • We will highlight:
    • how we came to find answers to many of our questions about SOS
    • how we found a way to ‘relax’ and come be at ease with the change process in our agency, and
    • How we were inspired to do appreciative inquiries and mapping.

Part Four – Back at Home - Making Invitations, Mapping and Appreciative Inquiry– 30 minutes

  • Fred will talk about how appreciative inquiry has made a significant impact on how we find solutions and further our skill development though its use in various settings such as with families, individual workers, impromptu groups, supervisory peer support, team meetings, and during the restructuring of a unit. (5 min)
  • Rosina and Karen will talk about how mapping in various settings like in family homes, video conferences with Carver County, with individual workers, and agency conferences has added to the meticulousness of our efforts towards safety of children (5 min)
  • Shannon will provide an example of some of her work with families using Signs of Safety tools. (i.e. how case mapping with families gave clarity and depth to her practice regarding increasing safety for children) (5 min)
  • Michelle will talk about her introduction to Signs of Safety Work, using a strength-based perspective and will provide an example of some of her work with families developing a Safety Network (10 min)

Part Five – A Managers Perspective - 5 minutes

  • Shawn will share from a Managers perspective what it has been like to witness the implementation of Signs of Safety Work in our agency; seeing the changes in our work with families and children.