Making decisions about the safety of a child in a home that has seen abuse or neglect can be extremely difficult for a social worker. Often even the families themselves are reluctant to be open about what has happened. This “syndrome of secrecy,” as coined by Tilman Furniss, can be as dangerous for the child as the abuse and neglect. According to Turnell, “it’s secrets that drive children crazy” and the antidote is straightforward communication about the safety plan, which also helps to decrease shame.

What may at first seem obvious, but is often overlooked, is the importance of creating a strong, working relationship with the whole family. This entails hearing difficult descriptions of abuse and neglect, often from the person who was the perpetrator, and working with them to create a safety plan in order to move forward. Turnell gives examples of social workers who, with all good intentions, create safety plans in their office and present these to the family. Plans such as these are rarely followed because the family members are not included in its creation.

An important part of the Signs of Safety planning is ensuring that the child feels safe in addition to actually being safe. Through real world case examples, we look at how even very young children are included in safety planning through pictures, “practicing” and “safety objects.” In many of the plans the children are asked to “practice” going to an adult for support—just to prove to the child that the adult will be present when, and if, they are really needed. An object, chosen by the child, is meant to give the child a “voice.” In one of the examples, the child has an object that he can bring to school and put on his teacher’s desk: this is her signal to call the child protection worker to check in on the child that day. In another example, the child is told to simply move one particular stuffed animal and this is the signal that an adult in his safety network must ask him if he is worried about something.

The video does not shy away from how to work with resistant families. Often parents don’t fully agree with the social worker’s safety plan—as with the father whose alcohol use led to extreme violence towards his wife. While the social worker understandably wants the father to totally abstain from drinking, we are able to see how a compromise can be made that still moves towards the child’s safety in the home.

With years of this work under his belt, Turnell offers a step-by-step, practical method for effective child safety planning following violence, abuse and neglect.

By watching this video you will:

• Understand the important differences between a safety plan and a service plan and how essential it is to co-create this with all family members.
• Have the tools to create straightforward “danger statements” and rules for safety that overstep the “syndrome of secrecy” that creates distress in children.
• Understand the importance of “safety people” and learn how to use “safety objects” in creating safety plans for children who have experienced abuse or neglect.