 |
 |
 |
Vol.
24, No. 2
May 2019
Safety Mapping Can Tell Us a Lot about Families
A common problem in child welfare is the lack of understanding and agreement between the family and the agency about why the agency is involved, what we are collectively trying to accomplish, and how we are going to accomplish it.
Safety mapping is a tool we can use to focus our work with the family and to make the best decisions possible about how to move forward (The Academy SDSU, 2014). This tool centers around three questions (Parker & Decter, n.d.):
- What is working well?
- What are we worried about?
- What needs to happen next?
Let's discuss each of these in detail.
"What is working well?"
This parallels well with North Carolina's focus on family-centered practice and finding strengths. Under this question, we ask the children, caregivers, service providers, and family supports to identify what is going well in the family. Each person should identify as many strengths as possible. These could be strengths that are present now, or that have been present in the past. The agency should also highlight what is working well, based on its assessment and observation of the family.
Tip: After the team lists what is working well (i.e., strengths), consider:
- Which of these can be leveraged to protect the child? How?
- What needs to be put in place so past successes can be recreated in the future?
"What are we worried about?"
This question is used to start a conversation with the family about their worries. What problems are they struggling with right now? What concerns do they have? Be intentional about hearing the perspectives of the child, family members, and service providers. Clearly articulate your concerns to the family. Developing and sharing clear, behaviorally-specific harm and danger statements with the family is a great way to do this.
Tip: All families--including those not involved with child welfare--have things to worry about. In child welfare, our focus is on credible worries that impact child safety. Other worries can be addressed later by other service providers or through voluntary services. Our focus here should be on worries that rise to the level of past harm or potential danger to the child.
"What needs to happen next?"
We use this final question to work with the family and team to prioritize worries. What are the bottom-line things that need to be addressed to ensure child safety, to close the case, to reunify the family, etc.? What is the caregiver's plan to address these worries? How we can build upon the family's strengths to address these worries?
Tips:
- Give the family room to brainstorm ways to address past harm and potential danger to the child. Have them identify what has worked (and what hasn't) in the past. Explore what they are willing to try and what services/interventions aren't a good fit for their family.
- Be careful that the plan isn't a list of services. What will the parent do differently? What behavioral change is needed, and how can the parent demonstrate that?
- The plan should focus on the behaviors you want to see, not the behaviors you don't want to see.
Sample Goal for this part of the Map
When Mr. Jones has a strong urge to use, he will call his sponsor and then go for a run, as that is a major coping skill for him. He will rate his urges on a scale from 1 to 10. If he is at an 8 or above, he will ask his neighbor or mother to come to the home to help him supervise Abby, in case he relapses.
Other Ways to Use Safety Mapping
Safety mapping with the family demonstrates partnership, gets the family engaged in the work, and increases the likelihood they will follow through on the plan. But there are other times safety mapping can be helpful in child welfare work:
Individual or team staffings. Safety maps can help us organize what we know about the family and prioritize what needs to be addressed moving forward. Use the map to decide which family needs truly impact safety, and which are complicating factors. This is especially helpful for cases that are "stuck" or where there are a lot of needs present.
Case transfers. Sharing a completed safety map is a great way to get a new worker and supervisor quickly "up to speed" about a case.
Child and Family Team meetings. Complete the map with the family, service providers, and support network all at the table. This will ensure everyone involved is on the same page moving forward.
We know introducing a new tool to your practice can be daunting. Practice safety mapping with your supervisor, coworkers, or your own family to become comfortable with the tool (The Academy SDSU, 2014).
A final piece of advice: don't overthink it. Simply take a piece of paper, draw a box on it, and draw lines to create the four quadrants. Then, complete the map with a family at your next home visit. How the map looks is not important. The process of gathering and organizing information, with the family's participation, is what matters (The Academy SDSU, 2014).
Click here to download a sample safety map.