Around the World

On this page we list numerous statutory and voluntary organizations in the UK, Sweden, USA, New Zealand, The Netherlands and Japan that are using the Signs of Safety and Resolutions approaches in their child protection work. Where available translated resources regarding the approaches relating to each country are also listed.

CANADA

Relationship--grounded, Safety-Organised Child Protection Practice: Dreamtime or Real-time Option for Child Welfare?

In French

Andrew's 2004 Relationship-grounded, Safety-Organised Child Protection Practice: Dreamtime or Real-time Option for Child Welfare? Published in Protecting Children, is available in French translation. Translated by the Department of Family and Community Services, New Brunswick.

JAPAN

Numerous provincial Japanese child protection organizations (child guidance clinics) are utilising the Signs of Safety approach. For more information contact Naomi Inoue - nkinoue@quartz.ocn.ne.jp or Ai Hishikawa - JBB01204@nifty.ne.jp

The Signs of Safety book is available in Japanese translation from http://kongoshuppan.co.jp/

NETHERLANDS

Drenthe

Drenthe, a NE province of The Netherlands is undertaking an extensive implementation of the Signs of Safety approach within all of its child protection/child welfare and family support services. Contact Dries Roosma - driesroosma@hetnet.nl The approach is also used as a framework to guide the work of Dutch child health nurses, contact Dr Ferko Öry - fg.ory@pg.tno.nl

DVD’s

The website of Dr Walter Oppenoorth offers numerous DVD’s from training Andrew has provided in The Netherlands, http://www.octir.nl/eng/o/index.html

Signs of Safety Material in Dutch

A Signs of Safety workbook and an introduction to the approach translated into Dutch are available here.

NEW ZEALAND

Open Home Foundation

Open Home Foundation provides home based social work support and foster care services with offices throughout New Zealand. OHF is undertaking an implementation of the Signs of Safety approach throughout all of its service centres Contact Jill Devlin jill@ohfnational.org.nz

Child Youth and Family Services

In 2003/4/5 CYF undertook an action research project to build its capacity to utilise strengths-based ideas and practices as part of its statutory child protection services. Signs of Safety thinking and tools informed this developmental work and several important initiatives grew out of the work including an innovative process called the 'Three Houses' method for involving children, young people and their families in assessment and planning and the development of action reflection forums within the statutory context. Contact Nicki Weld - nicki.weld001@cyf.govt.nz or Cherie Appleton - cherie.appleton001@cyf.govt.nz

Child Youth and Family Services

SWEDEN

Stockholm

The investigative team of Spanga-tensta commun (county) in Stockholm have been drawing upon the Signs of Safety approach for many years to guide their child protection practice. Contact Ann Gardestrom - ann.gardestrom@spanga-tensta.stockholm.se

Trolhatten

Social worker and musician Tomas Embreus has been using the Signs of Safety approach in Sweden for 6 years. As well as practicing as a child protection worker in Trollhatten, he also provides training and consultation for other professionals. See www.embreus.se for more information. On this site Tomas also provides a comprehensive introduction to the Signs of Safety written in Swedish.

Jonkoping

The Berga Behandlingscenter is a residential treatment centre for families near Jonkoping. Berga use the Signs of Safety approach in their treatment services see www.bergabehandling.se for more information.

‘Delacktighet’

A book called ‘Delacktighet’ edited by Martin Söderquist and Aviva Suskin-Holmqvist was published by Mareld in May 2006 and can be ordered at http://www.mareld.se This book contains a chapter regarding the work of the Spanga-tensta team and another chapter describing the Signs of Safety assessment process.

Training with Andrew in Sweden each March and September

Andrew provides public workshops in Sweden each year: a five-day intensive residency in Malmo in March through SIKT (link to www.sikt.nu) and in Stockholm in September through Danderydsteamet (link to www.danderydsteamet.se)

Signs of Safety Workbook in Swedish

A Signs of Safety workbook translated into Swedish is available here.

UNITED KINGDOM

Gateshead Social Services

In NE England the Gateshead access and assessment teams and other teams within Gateshead Social Services make extensive use of the Signs of Safety approach in their child protection work. For further information contact Viv Hogg - VivHogg@Gateshead.Gov.Uk Publications describing the work of the Gateshead practitioners include Turnell A., Elliott S. and Hogg, V. (2006). Compassionate, safe and rigorous child protection practice withe biological parents of adopted children, Child Abuse Review. and Hogg, V. and Wheeler, J. (2004) Miracles R them: solution-focused practice in a social services duty team. Practice, Vol 16, Number 4.

Barnardos Dundee

The Barnardos Polepark Family Service in Dundee Scotland utilise the Signs of Safety framework to contribute to comprehensive assessments of need undertaken by social services and also where families and social workers are stuck or at a crossroads in terms of their care plans and interventions. Contact Ann Manzi - Ann.Manzi@barnardos.org.uk

Resolutions Child Protection Consultancy, Bristol

Co-creators of the Resolutions model to ‘denied’ child abuse, Colin Luger and John Gumbleton provide independent assessment and family therapy services for courts and social services using the Resolutions approach. Contact Colin and John through their website www.resolutions-cpc.co.uk

Working with young people who have been sexually abusive

The following paper provides a description of the Signs of Safety approach applied to situations involving sexual abuse perpetrated by young people. This approach was developed at ‘The Junction’, a Barnardos project in Northern England.

Myers S. (2005). A signs of safety approach to assessing children with sexually concerning or harmful behaviour. Child Abuse Review 14: 97-112.

Haringey Childrens Services

Haringey Childrens Services have been utilising the Signs of Safety approach in their child protection practice with the help of Guy Shennan as their consultant in this ongoing developmental work. For more information see solution_news.pdf for an excellent article Guy has written about using solution focused and Signs of Safety ideas in child protection. Contact Dawn Green Dawn.Green@haringey.gov.uk

Coventry Social Services

Coventry Services have utilised the Signs of Safety approach to help them ‘rediscover social work’ within their child and family services and to reclaim a focus on strong practice in a time when they felt they we’re being overrun by managerialism. This developmental work has been undertaken with the assistance of Viv Hogg from Gateshead. An article on their experience was recently published in Professional Social Work. Contact Jivan Sembi - jivan.sembi@coventrygov.uk

USA

Olmsted County Minnesota

Olmsted County Child and Family Services are committed to an ongoing journey of delivering statutory child protection services that are strengths-based, relationship-grounded and organised around future safety for children. Their work was recently featured in TIME magazine The county has some of the longest standing US experience in utilising Alternative Response and Family Group Decision Making programmes and has extensively drawn upon the Signs of Safety and Resolutions approaches in their assessment and service delivery. This work is being lead by Rob Sawyer and Sue Lohrbach, who can be contacted c/o - sawyer.rob@co.olmsted.mn.us Go to - www.co.olmsted.mn.us/ for more information, service outcome and statistical data and links to publications.

Carver County Minnesota

Since 2004, Carver County Community Social Services have been implementing the Signs of Safety approach within their child protection and family services. Contact Dan Koziolek - dkoziole@co.carver.mn.us