Family Safety Planning in Denied/Disputed Cases.

1. Family Safety Planning in Denied/Disputed Cases. One possible way to ensure everyone is on the same page in thinking about Future safety despite disputes about the concerns. susie essex 2011

2. Aims, • 1. Creating a context for good safety planning. • 2. Understanding Specificity and Detail. • 3. The possibilities within problems. • 4. Involving children in an age appropriate way. susie essex 2011

3. Exercise, in groups of 3or 4. Participants Experience. Your experience of a case that went well, and there was a good safety plan. What were the main things that seemed to make it go well. Be prepared to feed back one or two points. Your experience of a difficult safety plan , what were the main blocks or obstacles that seemed to get in the way. Be prepared to feed back one or two points. susie essex 2011

4. Content • Dilemma’s in safety planning, context issues. • Research, and Practice Based Evidence, (Harry Ferguson). • Specificity and Detail in practice. • Difficulties, Problems, Opportunities, Need for Networks. • Involving children, editing role. • Family Safety Object and review. susie essex 2011

5. DVD Case Example Alex and Kate Smith have two children, Jake 4 years and Chloe 8 months. Chloe is presented at hospital having allegedly been dropped by Alex whilst in his sole care. Medical examination reveals linear bruising to Chloe’s cheek, rib fractures of different ages and subdural haematomas, which the doctors think are non-accidental in origin. The family are not known to Social Services and the Health Visitor reports positively about the parenting and care of the children until this time. Jake is placed in foster care and Chloe joins him when she is allowed to leave hospital. Alex and Kate are allowed contact with the children five days per week supervised by social workers. The matter is put before the Court which has to decide what should happen to the children. Further assessments reveal no other concerns and both parents deny they have injured Chloe. susie essex 2011

6. DVD Family Genogram susie essex 2011

7. DVD case example Julia + Gerry A pre-school girl from Sunday School (Kelly), where Gerry helped as Leader, alleged that Gerry had sexually abused her. The matter was not taken to court but Social Services “substantiated” the allegations based on the detail of oral abuse in the girl’s report. As a result of this Social Services were concerned for the current and future safety of Gerry and Julia’s 3 year old daughter Emma. Julia’s sister Sharon and Julia’s mother have been helpful during the investigation. susie essex 2011

8. Julia and Gerry Genogram MGM Sharon 30 Gerry Julia 36 32 Financial Advisor Artist Community Projects Sunday School Teacher Kelly CSA Allegation 4 Emma 3 Nursery School Day Care Social Workers Church

9. What is safety?How do you “know it” if you see it?What evidence will you need, and from whom ?In what time scale would you need this see this evidence? • Use research and literature to inform “what ifs”. • There is little research in Child Protection about what constitutes safety. • Most research and literature covers incidence, causation, maintenance, not what resolves difficulties. It is still very useful in informing areas for the safety plan. susie essex 2011

10. DVD clip Family Safety Guidelines • Julia and Gerry start of Safety Planning susie essex 2011

11. Family Safety Guidelines • Helping families find ways of caring for their children that enhances their chances of staying safe and reduces the risks/concerns. • The guidelines are co-constructed with parents, children (if of sufficient age and understanding), members of the support network and professionals. • Difficulties become things to solve and create more safety not barriers to work. susie essex 2011

12. 1. Begin by briefing statutory child protection workers on the process and obtain their permission and endorsement to undertake the process and their commitment . What are the key areas they want to make sure are covered. 2. Then check with the parent or parents what they think needs to be covered to convince the main agencies the children will be safe, what will they find easy to do, what will be more difficult. 3. Explore these same issues with the other parent, kinship system, and significant adults in the child’s life. susie essex 2011

13. 4. With parent/s or carers explain to children the need to construct some future safety guidelines (refer to words and pics as context), that this is to show the Child Protection agency things will be safe in the future. Check what they think the Child Protection will want to see, and anything they think anyone might be concerned about (depending on the circumstances include the parents or a significant adult in this discussion if at all possible). 5.Draft the explanation utilising the families’ own language and ways of expressing everyday life whereverpossible, bearing in mind family‘s race culture and religion. Link all of the above to any worries/concerns about the children at home, at school, with peers, i.e. any context where there is the potential for confusion. susie essex 2011

14. 6. The FSP should be balanced and not solely focused on the negative or difficult aspects. It should include all concerns. The FSP should be framed with an affirmative beginning and a positive message at the end. The plan should be mainly in the positive ie what people will do, with negatives only put in alongside positives ie a pic of dad alone in house with X through and dad in house with other adults with a tic through it. Make sure there is a home visit to understand the home circumstances and lay out. A home visit is vital. 7. Present the first draft to the parents. Develop and refine the words so that they are comfortable with it (but in a way that does not reduce the safety) and make sure the plan reflects future family life. 8. Once the parents take ownership of the FSP, the next task is to ensure that it fully captures everything the main agencies are concerned about. Followed lastly by session with everyone to sign and agree. susie essex 2011

15. Family Safety exercise Think of Jodie’s family. • What safety would you want in place to consider contact in the family home? • What safety would you want in place to consider full reunification, given the past physical injuries and the possibility that one parent might have their own complex issues? • Be prepared to feed back one or two key points. susie essex 2011

16. Fictitious Case Example for Fabricated or Induced Illness The Safety Network • Grandmother: dual heritage white UK and black British • Great Uncle Frank and girlfriend Jo (Grandpa died 2005, white UK) • Godmother: Connie • Church friends: Pastor Mark and Cheryl etc…. Family Members • Mother: Mari 24 Dual Heritage 2nd Generation • Father: Ralph 32 White UK • Jodie born Autumn 2006 Hospital age 1 month Apnoea attack age 6 weeks Apnoea attack and rash age 3 months rash possible Apnoea • Previous Child Death Boy Eli age 10 months in 2005 • New Baby Due Easter 2008 susie essex 2011

17. D.H Black British/ White U.K. 2005 Conie X 24 32 Mari Ralph Dual heritage/white UK Black British Baby due Easter 2011 X Eli 4 Jodie Church Pastor Mark – friend of Cheryl Died 2005 10 months F.I.I. Made up case study susie essex 2011

18. Family Safety Guidelines - 1 • These guidelines are based on Ralph as the primary carer and Mari as the supportive carer. • This means Ralph will have to take care of Jodi and the new baby and be responsible for their intimate care. • Mari will have someone else present at all times. • (this will help to create clarity about future responsibilities as outlined in previous reports) susie essex 2011

19. Family Safety Guidelines - 2 • Initially, when the new baby is born, Grandma will come to stay. • Connie will also come every day to help. • There will be an approved person present at all times. susie essex 2011

20. Family Safety Guidelines - 3 • If Grandma or Connie need to go to the toilet etc. they will make sure • Jodi is safe in a room with her toys, and take the new baby with them. • Mummy and Daddy will stay in the kitchen or living room. susie essex 2011

21. Family Safety Guidelines - 4 • If there is any sort of emergency, e.g. grandma or Connie is ill, • or any time when they need extra help, there is a Rota • of helpful people on the family list. • Ralph, Mari, grandma or Connie will ring one of these • people on the list. • Ralph, Mari, grandma or Connie will ring someone on the Rota. • There is a backup for advice such as: • Health Visitor on Tel: 12345.. • Social Worker Tel:23466.. or out of hours for SSD Tel:34567 • Pastor Mark Tel:45678. • Ralph, Mari, grandma and Connie will always phone • Children and Young Services social worker to let them know • any unexpected change day or night. susie essex 2011

22. Rota of Helpful People Active cover each day and each night Need first person in day and first person in night Clear about who does weekends and what about holidays? If all going well progress to non-active cover susie essex 2011

23. Safety Rota for Weekdays susie essex 2011

24. Safety Rota for Weekends and Holidays HOLIDAYS Granny will go with the family to her caravan , she can call Connie for help Or... Great Uncle Frank and Jo will go with the family to their apartment in Portugal susie essex 2011

25. Practise and Pretend • Pretend, what if scenarios • Worker thinking of pretend scenarios, informed by literature • Pretend and practise, telephoning and response. (see Rota) • Any difficulties become opportunities to demonstrate taking the Plan seriously and a chance to add more safety. . susie essex 2011

26. Family Safety Object. • Involving children in active rehearsal, using safety object, and telephoning. susie essex 2011

27. Exercise. Doing one yourself. Either use case on the video of denied/disputed physical abuse, or sexual abuse. or if you can outline one of your own cases quickly then use your own case. You need to do at least 6 main pictures for the family to edit. Draw large on large flip chart, for gallery feedback. 20mins susie essex 2011

28. Julia and Gerry pen picture susie essex 2011

29. In summary • Based on first raft of Safety Plan for Contact. • Move to a plan for overnight stays involving the network people. • Involve both Parents/Carers in refining the plan. • Present the revised plan to children. • Actively involve children in rehearsals with Safety Network members. • Present final plan to all members Professionals and family Network. • Family Reunification susie essex 2011

30. Future Safety. • A list of Services, or Therapies for parents to undertake is not safety. • Safety is “strengths demonstrated as protection over time”. Boffa and Podestra 2004. • Back to the question I posed at the start, We need to be clear with families about what we need them to do and demonstrate that will show us safety. susie essex 2011

31. Follow up for Families and Children. • Ideally Visit to family one year later. • Review words and pics. • Review family safety guidelines. • Do safety ladder, same paper and same colour pens, all into a shoe box. • Any mark below halfway need to add one or two safety factors. • Consider how long the plan needs to be in place given type of concerns age of child and response of the network to new information susie essex 2011

32. REFERENCE • Chapter 7 Turnell and Essex 2006 Page 119. • Key areas to cover in sexual abuse and physical abuse concerns. • Chapter 9 Turnell and Essex 2006 Details of safety plans for Physical Abuse and Sexual Abuse cases. susie essex 2011

33. DVD clip Family safety guidelines 1. either Kate and Alex, or Julia and Gerry, or both. susie essex 2011