Using Safety Organized Practice (SOP) for Resiliency Building in CWS Staff

It is well documented that CWS staff are at risk for developing PTSD symptomology due to repeated exposure to primary and secondary trauma (STS) based on their work with traumatized children and families. When not addressed, STS compromises CWS’s goal of providing safety, well-being and permanency to children because it impacts worker’s decision making, problem solving, and risk assessment abilities. Likewise, increased worker turnover/absence disrupts continuity of services, timeliness of investigations, and permanency planning for children. Many counties have implemented and embraced SOP as their practice framework for working with children and families. This training allows staff to deepen their knowledge and use of SOP through interactive activities that demonstrates how these same tools/principals can be applied to themselves in an effort to build their own safety, well-being (resiliency), and permanency (sustainability), thus creating a successful parallel process in which improved outcomes for staff and clients alike can be attained.