Safety Organized Practice (SOP)
Safety Organized Practice (SOP) is a collaborative practice approach that emphasizes the importance of teamwork in child welfare. SOP aims to build and strengthen partnerships with the child welfare agency and within a family by involving their informal support networks of friends and family members. A central belief of SOP is that all families have strengths. SOP uses strategies and techniques that align with the belief that a child and his or her family are the central focus, and that the partnership exists in an effort to find solutions that ensure safety, permanency, and well-being for children. Safety Organized Practice is informed by an integration of practices and approaches, including:
- Solution-focused practice[1]
- Signs of Safety[2]
- Structured Decision Making[3]
- Child and family engagement[4]
- Risk and safety assessment research
- Group Supervision and Interactional Supervision[5]
- Appreciative Inquiry[6]
- Motivational Interviewing[7]
- Consultation and Information Sharing Framework[8]
- Cultural Humility
- Trauma-Informed Practice
The Academy for Professional Excellence has been supporting Child Welfare around Safety Organized Practice implementation, training, coaching, and workforce development since 2013. We offer several services for counties implementing Safety Organized Practice:
- Technical Assistance
- Training, including Training for Trainers
- Coaching
- Convenings
- Evaluation
SOP Services: Tools to Support Implementation, Workforce Development, and Evaluation
SOP Field Tools and Resources
Safety Organized Practice Convening Materials
The Academy for Professional Excellence holds regular convenings for those practicing Safety Organized Practice. The previous convening materials can be found at the links below.
2016 Safety Organized Practice Convening
2018 Safety Organized Practice Convening
Additional tools for best practice and coaching can be found on our Coaching page.