Partnership-Based Practice in Children and Family Services A Brief Overview of Solution Focused Therapy & The Signs of Safety*

Paternalism in CPS CPS has the sole responsibility to assess or analyze the problem; CPS has the sole responsibility to generate the solution; Parents and families are relegated to service recipients

Paternalism in CPS CPS interviews are focused on gathering evidence; Emphasis is on identification of deficits in family functioning and parenting

Problem Solving Model Engagement Problem Identification Data Collection & Assessment Intervention planning Intervention Evaluation and follow-up Termination

Partnership Can CPS develop a cooperative relationship or partner with parents during: An emotionally charged investigation? Where there is substantiated maltreatment? When there is a need for ongoing casework?

Partnership CPS & Family cooperate; Work towards specific, mutually understood goals; CPS is open to the family’s perspective; Legislated in Internationally UK – Child Act of 1989 New Zealand – Young People and Their Families Act of FGDM Practiced Nationally (Michigan; Olmstead Co in Minnesota)

Strengths Perspective All possess strengths that can be used to improve their life; Motivation is increased by emphasis on strengths, as the client defines them; Strengths learned through a cooperative exploration between practitioner and client;

Strengths Perspective Focus on strengths leads to better knowing how clients survived, even the most difficult circumstances; and Less blaming

Strengths Perspective Facilitates movement towards the clients preferred futures and strengths Possible suggestion (question) – pay careful attention to “what is happening in your life (lives) that you want to continue to have happen”

Strengths Perspective Develop a state of “being informed” through a stance of genuine curiosity; Listen for WHO and WHAT are important to a client; these are people, relationships, events; Focus your questions on interactions; who is present, what are they doing, etc.

Partnership – Practice Principles Respect service recipients as people worth doing business with; Cooperate with the person not the abuse; Recognize that cooperation is possible even when coercion is required; Recognize that all families have signs of safety Maintain a focus on safety Learn what the service recipient wants

Partnership – Practice Principles Always search for detail; Focus on creating small change; Don’t confuse case details with judgment; Offer choices; Treat the interview as a forum for change; Treat the practice principles as aspirations, not assumptions.

Solution Building - Stages Describing Problem – respectful listening; few questions about severity, duration, causes; Development of well-formed goals – Miracle Question or what will be different when problems are solved; Explore exceptions – who, what, where, when, and how – to make exceptions happen

Solution Building - Stages End of session feedback – messages which include compliments and usually some suggestions – based on relationship Visitor Complainant Customer Evaluating progress – scaling questions O - 10

Partnership – CP: A-Z CP Practice is “front end loaded” – careful, detailed, and thorough work at the beginning leads to well-informed decisions and easier resolution Practice principles and practice elements are utilized by screener, intake worker or investigator, ongoing case manager, etc. until case closure

Partnership – Practice Elements Understanding the position of each family member: R espect – what they have to offer A ppreciate – this is the best they are able to do at that moment T ake - what they have to offer and U se – it to provide a G raceful – way out of the problem (RATUG)

Partnership – Practice Elements Find the exceptions to the maltreatment: Times when the problem could have happened, but did not; Explore for them after disclosure or Identification of a problem; Question and enlarged by a who, what, where, when, and how approach

Partnership – Practice Elements Discover the family strengths & resources Explore positive aspects and strengths of family life: Give message = family life and experiences are the foundation of change; Focus on openness to change; family relationships – extended family connections, etc.

Partnership – Practice Elements Focus on Goals: CP has one goal – SAFETY – articulate in behavioral terms what will indicate safety Examine the family’s views – how they would begin to create safety Elicit the family’s goals Concretize: measurable, observable, and positive Establish overlap with agency’s goals to provide safety

Partnership – Practice Elements Scale safety and progress Direct and straightforward way of accessing the perspective of the family Creates a dialogue that automatically assumes a continuum between danger……safety, illness…..health, etc. Worker/agency must still make their own judgments as to what the answers mean in terms of risk and safety, etc.

Partnership – Practice Elements Assess willingness, capacity, and confidence CP casework should generate plans families can act on; so we should canvass the families Willingness to change, create safety, etc. Capacity to take action, ability to follow through, control or influence in the situation, etc. Confidence that they can create safety, protect, family circumstances will improve, etc

References De Jong, P. & Berg, I.K. (2002). Interviewing for Solutions. Pacific Grove, Ca: Brooks and Cole; de Shazer, S. (1985). Keys to Solution in Brief Therapy. New York: Norton. Glicken, M. D. (2004). Using the Strengths Perspective in Social Work. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Saleeby, D. (Ed.) The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice. New York: Longman. *Turnell, A. & Edwards, S. (1999). Signs of Safety: A Solution and Safety Oriented Approach to Child Protection Casework. New York: Norton.