Past Events

Events & Outreach

The Eighth Annual ITV/VPC Conference The Signs of Safety Approach to Child Protection

March 28, 2007 9:00-12:00 noon CDT

3 Continuing Education Hours from the Minnesota Board of Social Work

The videoconference runs from 9:00 a.m.. to 12:00 noon central daylight time, on Wednesday, March 28th, 2007. Please arrive by 8:45 a.m. so you don't miss any of the broadcast!

The videoconference is over. Thanks for participating!

Event Materials

Click on the links below to find materials relating to the conference.

Site Coordinator Materials (pdf file)

Participant Materials (pdf file)

Andrew's PowerPoint Presentation!
PowerPoint Show (pdf file)

Resources Relating to Conference:
www.signsofsafety.net

Featured Presenter

Andrew Turnell

See the archived video of the conference!

The School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota is originating a ITV/VPC conference entitled "The Signs of Safety Approach to Child Protection Casework"

The Signs of Safety approach to child protection casework was developed through the 1990’s in Western Australia. The approach was created by Andrew Turnell and Steve Edwards in collaboration with almost 120 West Australian child protection workers and is now being utilized and further developed in many different countries around the world. This approach focuses on the question, “how can the worker actually build partnerships with parents in situations of suspected or substantiated child abuse?” This is a partnership- and collaboration-grounded, strengths-based, safety-organised approach to child protection work. This approach expands the investigation of risk to encompass strengths and signs of safety that can be built upon to stabilize and strengthen the child’s and family’s situation. A format for undertaking comprehensive risk assessment - assessing for both danger and strengths/safety – is incorporated within the one-page “signs of safety assessment protocol”. In addition, the Signs of Safety approach is designed to assist professionals at all stages of the child protection process.

Andrew Turnell is a social worker, family therapist and child protection consultant from Perth, Western Australia. Andrew is the co-creator of the Signs of Safety approach to child protection casework, which is the subject of his first book with Steve Edwards. He teaches regularly around the world and acts as an ongoing consultant to child protection systems in Australasia, Europe, Japan and North America, including in Carver and Olmsted counties in Minnesota.. While the child protection field is over-organised by anxiety and failure, Andrew’s work focuses on fostering, amplifying and describing constructive on-the-ground child protection practice that creates safety for children in high-risk cases. Andrew has written extensively about safety-organised, child protection practice. His most recent book is co-authored with Susie Essex from Bristol: Working with ‘denied’ child abuse: the Resolutions approach. For more information visit: www.signsofsafety.net.

The conference was webstreamed!

Click below to see the live video of the conference!

Click for video stream.

Part 1
Part 2
Click here for audio stream only (for non-broadband connections).

Concurrent with the satellite broadcast, the School of Social Work is streaming the videoconference live over the Internet. [Note: this videoconference will be stored for a minimum of two weeks after the event for post-conference viewing]

Please note:to gauge the number of internet streams needed, we'd like you to email reardon@umn.edu to indicate your intention to view the webcast event, as well as the number of people you anticipate connecting from your location.

To view this video stream on your computer, note the following considerations.

Viewing the streamed video requires a web browser, a broadband connection to the Internet (a DSL/Cable Modem/LAN connection), and a streaming video player called "Real Player". You probably have Real Player installed, so try the links first. Real Player software, if needed, can be downloaded free from the Real Web Site.

(Note: Look for the "free" player, and not their "for fee" version. Usually the links for the really free version are on the right, or upper-right portion of their pages.)

Install on your computer. After installing the player, when you click on a link to a streaming video file, the Real Player will automatically start and play the video.

Please test your configuration BEFORE the event by a short sample courtesy of the University of Minnesota:
http://acrobat.software.umn.edu:8080/ramgen/test/future_256k.rm http://acrobat.software.umn.edu:8080/ramgen/test/future_56k.rm

RealPlayer Minimum PC System Requirements

350MHz Intel Pentium II processor or equivalent
64MB of RAM(128MB on Windows XP or later)
52MB available disk space
16-bit sound card and speakers
65,000-color video display card set to display at 800x600 (video)
Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000 with Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows XP
IE 5.0 or later

RealPlayer Minimum Mac System Requirements

Requires Mac OS X v. 10.3.9 or later
Requires 256Mb RAM (512 Recommended)
Requires PowerPC G3 (or later) or Intel Core Solo/Duo processor
Requires Internet Connection

University Sites:
U of M, St. Paul
U of M, Rochester
Mankato State

During the 3-hour broadcast, you will be able to telephone a 1-800 number, email, or FAX your questions and comments to the presenter

For questions relating the conference please contact the center by emailing Heidi Wagner at hwagner@umn.edu. The proposed audience for this seminar is child welfare and child protection workers, supervisors, administrators, foster care providers, and other social workers and community practitioners who work with families and children. Three hours of social work CEH’s will be available to participants

Purpose

This is a free, live teleconference sponsored by the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW), School of Social Work, University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, to your county ITV site and made possible by a Title IV-E training grant administered by the MN Department of Human Services.