Signs of Safety in Cheshire East
Cheshire East is adopting Signs of Safety as our way of working with families because this will support us to achieve the type of service that children, young people, parents and carers have told us they want. Best practice is child-focused, solution-orientated, and respectful and inclusive of families, and this is what we want to achieve through adopting Signs of Safety.
Where Signs of Safety has been adopted by other local authorities it has been welcomed by families. Families have reported that (often for the first time) they are clear about what services expect from them. Families particularly like that their views and strengths are acknowledged as well as their weaknesses understood.
Signs of Safety is now widely recognised internationally as the leading approach to child protection casework. It provides a clear framework for how to do the work within children’s services; how to build relationships with families and work effectively with them to achieve strong outcomes for children and young people.
Signs of Safety will change the way we work so that we can involve families fully in decision making. It will affect:
- how we carry out assessments and how we create plans
- the types of questions we ask
- how we conduct meetings
- the language we use and how we explain what’s happening
You will be asked to talk about:
- What's working well
- What we're worried about
- How worried you are on a scale of 0-10
- What needs to happen
Guidance on Using Signs of Safety
Go to the dedicated page of resources and Guidance on how to use Signs of Safety within early help and prevention, child in need and child protection, and services for cared for children and young people and care leavers.
Signs of Safety Training
The three different options for Signs of Safety training, dates and how to book are included below.
2 Day Training
Who is it aimed at? Practitioners who work directly with families, and their line managers
What does it cover? What Signs of Safety is, how to use it in practice, and tools for working together with children, young people and families. The two day covers similar content to the half day but goes into more detail on using the practice and includes practising applying the approach to live cases. It includes the tools you will need to complete assessments and plans both within Early Help and Children's Social Care
Half Day Training
Who is it aimed at? This course is aimed at people who work in departments that support families but don't work with families directly, for example commissioning, business support and elected members.
What does it cover? What Signs of Safety is, how to use it in practice, and tools for working together with children, young people and families. The half day course is a concise version of the 2 day course.
To book your place on the 2 day or half day training: please go to the Learning and Improvement page.
E-learning
Who is it aimed at? Anyone who needs to know about Signs of Safety and what it involves.
What does it cover? An introduction to Signs of Safety; what it is, what the approach involves, and the key tools.
To access the e-learning please click the links below:
For partners including schools:
http://cheshireeast.learningpool.com/totara/dashboard/index.php?id=5
For Cheshire East Council staff:
http://cheshireeast.learningpool.com/course/view.php?id=388