Safeguarding Relationally

Our work is targeted to support the safeguarding of adolescents and their families. We work to develop and embed relational working within Local Authority statutory practice to respond to the complexity and contextual nature of vulnerability and risk. In building 'alliance-based' approaches with children, parents and carers we are able to focus on what needs to change around the child and family in order to increase safety. In doing so, we observe a reduction in extra-familial risk and improved relationships that better meet the child's needs. Recognising the interconnectivity of intra and extra familial factors, and the relationship to both harm and safety, is central to our understanding of need and protection within the statutory setting.

Our methods require practitioners to consider 'relationships' and how the personal and professional intersect. Participants are supported to adopt curious and exploratory positions to their active work, they work to identify how narratives are formed and the resultant impact, and consider how positions are taken within the systems around children and families - including their own. These reflections aid consideration of all factors that contribute to the assessment made, paying attention to the relational function of relationships to inform intervention planning. Working in this way supports discussion that focusses upon where change occurs, informing where attention may need to be focussed.

In delivering our learning, teams have engaged meaningfully in reflective discussion to aid understanding of the relationships and structures around children and families. Feedback from group sessions has indicated a desire to build on group supervision spaces to share ideas and hold work together. Staff are observed being able to show vulnerability in their supervision groups and thus open to exploration and the development of understanding and practice. The foundations of mutually influencing teams are observed.

“a really heavy week but boy have I enjoyed it. Thank you so much and for the input and openness of colleagues which has really aided my learning and thoughts of forward planning”

What needs to change around children and families is the focus of development. Practitioners and Teams consider the localities and systems within which they work, paying attention to dominant parts of the community and identifying lesser heard voices. Thinking about how assessment translates into intervention, and whether the assessed factors contributing to the identified harm are being targeted, is an area where we observe significant growth. Further reflection upon why people may behave in certain ways supports avoiding assumption.

Practitioners work to consider the intention behind their interventions and link these directly to outcomes to support meaningful action. We support practitioners to consider the impact of situations upon them as members of the system, and the influence of their own stories and narratives. When thinking about networks, individuals are asked to consider what may be 'happening' between them to help build the most effective alliances that support collaboration.

Delivering to Youth Justice Officers, Social Workers, Senior Practitioners, Practice, Team and Service Managers, learning is split to support practitioners to use the ideas and approaches in practice, pause and reflect as they integrate different methods into their practice. It is a process that staff and teams commit to and develop over time.

In our view working relationally broadens capacity to gather and analyse information. More, it requires us to consider what we ourselves bring to the construction of knowledge and narratives around children, families and networks. In doing so we remain curious and alert to possibility over certainty and can work to best understand and safeguard effectively.