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Learning from Successful Safeguarding
Choosing hope over fear…
Let the children who watch what we do understand and thank us for choices we can make.’
Barack Obama
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We are:
Independent consultants working with strengths based approaches
With experience in safeguarding and a call for new ways of working
Offering a framework to build on your expertise, knowledge & experience.
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Safeguarding success
Looking for the ingredients of practice that worked well
Developing appreciative safeguarding practice
Developing an appreciative model for Case Reviews
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Learning from success
In Newcastle:
Learning about successful safeguarding practice with practitioners and the LSCB
Developing an LCSB good practice panel which invites people to identify and share their best practice;
Conducting an appreciative CR process in which all stakeholders work together to identify success and focus on where change is needed.
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And elsewhere:
Finding successful safeguarding practice in preparing for a Joint Review
Piloting an Appreciative SCR process - starting with what went right?
Building on successful collaboration to create a strong strategic safeguarding approach with a LCSB.
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‘I’ve been involved in countless case reviews….
…and never been satisfied with the outcomes…we never seem to learn anything new; they haven’t made the slightest difference.’ Safeguarding Manager
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‘I often think that…
..if that child could see us now they’d say:
“What on earth do you think What on earth do you think you are doing?!you are doing?!” LCSB member
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New & deepdeep learning from appreciative case reviews
Asking everyone what went well & what they have learned
Everyone meeting together, overcoming fear & mutual suspicion
Affirming, learning & agreeing next steps together
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High reliability organisations:Weick and Sutcliff (2001)
Are good at looking for the unexpected Learning from potential accidents Avoid mistakes becoming ‘undiscussable’ Hierarchy steps aside to support the most
relevant expertise – ask everyone Spot the potential consequences of ‘little
mistakes that escalate’ Convert personal fear of speaking up to fear of
‘what may happen to others if I don’t speak up?’
‘We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy is when men are afraid of the light.’ Plato
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In the long run, what is likely to be more useful:
Demoralizing a successful workforce by concentrating on their failures
orhelping them over their last few hurdles by building a bridge with their successes?
Thomas White, President GTE
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Organisations move in the direction of…
The questions they ask
The stories they tell
Their most powerful images of the future.
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Judged on what we can build, not what we destroy (Obama)
People own what they have helped to create
In every situation, something works and we can build on these examples
Getting more of what we focus on, we choose carefully
Change begins with our first questions
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Focus
Inclusive Inquiry
Process
Learning from Success
SCIE Multi-agency systems
Fault finding (what went wrong?)
Blame focus
FocusLearning together (What
went right?)
Appreciative Focus
Traditional SCRInspection
ExpertEnquiry
Changing our focus
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Starting the change with our very first questions
What do we know works well?
What do we want more of?
How can we make that happen?
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Choice One – Focus of Review Deficits or strengths?
Starting from strengths
Asking what went right
Of the whole system
Learn about the things that worked well together, affirm and support each other
Highlights where improvements are needed [practice & management] and strategies for doing so
People have already identified what they need to differently and have started doing it
Everyone has been involved in understanding the practice, learning together and is motivated to act.
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Deep Learning
..takes place when people: ‘see the larger whole and their connectedness to this wholeness.’Peter Senge
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Choice Two – Review process ‘None of us is as smart as all of us’*
Working with the whole system Getting all the voices in the room Sharing & understanding one
another’s perspectives Collective insight creates collective
wisdom Moving forward together
*Japanese proverb
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An new modelInternal Learning Inquiry
•Whole system review – involving everyone together
•Using AI cycle and starting with appreciative questions
•Collaborative approach to understanding
•Open, respectful dialogue in a blame free environment
•Inquiry takes place over 2-3 days, real time.
•Shared understanding and actions are agreed by everyone and become the report and next steps
•High ownership; change starts immediately including building and renewal of relationships, connections and working arrangements between agencies.
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Discovery
‘Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.’ James Thurber
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Discovering what works well Talk to your neighbour for the next 10 minutes
Listener: ask questions, listen, encourage, look for the positives, note the highlights
Speaker: chance to tell your story un-interrupted
5 minutes each and swap
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If Serious Case Reviews were truly effective, what would they look like?
1. Tell your neighbour about a time when you have seen safeguarding practice save a childWhat happened? What did you and others do?
2. If you had 1 wish for the future of UK safeguarding what would it be?
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Impact of our model Everyone is involved: working, learning, changing
and acting together, Their work and contributions are valued and
morale is enhanced Mistakes are regarded as opportunities for learning Change begins straight away Everyone has contributed to the Report Reporting and dissemination are outcomes of the
process People embrace agreed changes with a shared
motivation and enthusiasm Shorter timescales Cost effective – in time and money
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Unclenching our fists… Barak Obama
Build on the best of what’s working now Inquire together about the best of our existing processes e.g. ‘Working Together’ and fulfilling its requirements
Begin from a motivated place where deep learning & change begin straight away
Purposeful activity that is safe for children and practitioners
Join us on March 23rd to inquire further.
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Testimonials from a LSCB
Having some fun with the ‘envisioning the ideal future’ exercise! Excellent exercise. Strong messages and learning.
Mixing with other professionals and getting to know them. Positive attitude to safeguarding and change is possible.
Thinking about solutions to getting the best from the ‘system’.
A renewed enthusiasm!
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Choosing hope over fear Barak Obama
Let us be the risk takers, the doers. The ground is shifting beneath us, we are already asking: What can we do?
What will you do…..??
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About Appreciative Inquiry
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Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
A positive approach to learning and change
Appreciate• Recognize the quality of …• Be fully aware of or sensitive to…• To raise in value or worth
Inquiry• A process of gathering information for the
purpose of learning and changing.
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Using AI – Five ‘D’ CycleDefinition:
Decide What to Learn About
Discovery: Explore, inquire
Themes - Positive Core
Dream/Imagine: Picture what might be; create shared
images for a preferred future
Design: Find innovative ways to
create that future; Breakthrough propositions
Destiny: Sustaining the
Change
AppreciativeTopic
What do you Want More
of?
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Discovery
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in seeing with new eyes”.
Marcel Proust
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If we allow ourselves to imagine “ what if….?”
We will soon be asking:
“Why Not?!”
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Agreeing what matters
If we could do everything
we are capable of
doing, we would
astound ourselves ‘
Thomas Edison
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Making a start
‘Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius & magic in it’ Goethe
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Making it happen
If you want to build a ship,
don't drum up men to gather wood, give
orders, and divide the work.
Rather, teach them to yearn for the far and
endless sea.’
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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Why it works Principles of the approach
• In every society, organisation, team and group, some things work well. (strengths based)
• Organisations grow in the direction of what they ask questions about (social construction)
• People are more confident in moving to an uncertain future when they carry forward the best parts of the past (continuity and innovation).
• Change is seen as a journey rather than a one-off event and begins right away(on-going)
• Everyone in the system participates (involvement)
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Manchester Heart Centre
Leadership development Creating a sea-change in
culture and behaviour within the Centre
‘We are now more business-like, but not at the expense of humanity’
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The impact of working with AI
BEFORE
Feeling isolated Feeling checked up on In the dark Cliques Favouritism
(Alfred and Shohet 2006)
AFTER
Openness Approachability Empowerment Professionalism Honesty OK to make mistakes Early achievement of
targets
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Feedback about creating change
A remarkable level of positive feedback. Even those with a gold medal for cynicism now have a thirst and enthusiasm for change.
AI shaped the structure of the project and then disappeared. The process was less important than the topic which we were all focusing. We were not aware of moving through the different stages – we were just working out what we wanted to do next.
I am amazed at how far people moved during a single day.
We have a new understanding of and support for our journey of change.
An effective model, which generates enthusiasm, energy and a wish for change, and is fun to do. Brilliant.
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Useful References What is Appreciative Inquiry? by Joe Hall & Sue Hammond,
www.thinbook.com Appreciative Inquiry: Change at the Speed of Imagination, by Jane
Magruder Watkins and Bernard J. Mohr. The Power of Appreciative Inquiry. A practical guide to positive
change. Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten Bloom 2003
Appreciative Inquiry Handbook, David Cooperrider, Diana Whitney and Jackie Stavros, 2003
Appreciative Inquiry: Igniting Transformative Action,” by Bernard Mohr. From The Systems Thinker, Volume 12, #1, 2001, at www.pegasuscommunications.com.
Presence: by Peter Senge et al Theory U:by C Otto Scharmer
Other Resources: AI Commons website at http://appreciativeinquiry.cwru.edu/ www.julie-barnes.co.uk and www.mooreinsight.co.uk