An International Effort to Develop a Fidelity Measure for Signs of Safety®

Abstract

This article describes how a worker fidelity assessment measure was developed for Signs of Safety ®-an approach to assessing safety and risk in child protective services that is being implemented in the United States and over 11 other countries. Methods: We applied the Delphi Survey process with 70 experts from nine countries to identify key practice elements that could be assessed by supervisors. Then, 435 frontline staff were assessed by 285 supervisors from six countries. Results: Factor analyses of the 28 items yielded four distinct factors. These data were then used to refine the fidelity assessment. Discussion: The majority of supervisors reported that the assessment helped them to identify worker strengths and areas for refinement within the dimensions of Signs of Safety and overall child protective services practice. The value of developing similar tools for parents and workers was endorsed by the study participants.

Understanding the social worker–family relationship through self‐determination theory: A realist synthesis of Signs of Safety

“…Informed by realist (Shearn et al, 2017) Baginsky et al, 2021;Roberts et al, 2019). The theory of SDT alongside the SofS-specific mechanisms we synthesize, can inform…”

“…Fundamentally, our review offers a practical contribution to social work. Previous research has found that SofS is often not implemented as intended and there can be confusion about what SofS is (Baginsky et al, 2017; Baginsky et al, 2021; Roberts et al, 2019). The theory of SDT alongside the SofS‐specific mechanisms we synthesize, can inform SofS training, practice and implementation because we offer a deeper explanation of why SofS strategies are important and more precisely specify what each aims to achieve.…”

“…The current SofS theory of change sets out a detailed description and illustration of each step that is expected to happen in the SofS causal pathway, and it further outlines how those changes are influenced by the organizational context SofS is introduced into (Munro et al, 2016). However, previous research has found that SofS is often implemented in a piecemeal or incomplete fashion and that it is sometimes misinterpreted and implemented incorrectly (Baginsky et al, 2017; Baginsky et al, 2021; Rijbroek et al, 2017; Roberts et al, 2019; Rothe et al, 2013). In one organization ostensibly using SofS, observations of practice found ‘there were many visits when not a single identified element of SofS was used in [social workers'] interaction with families' (Baginsky et al, 2021, p. 28).…”

Effectiveness of child protection practice models: a systematic review

“…Furthermore, implementing practice models in different contexts involves several implementation barriers that also create challenges to an outcome evaluation (e.g., Bostock et al, 2017;Roberts, Caslor, Turnell, Pearson, & Pecora, 2019). For example, previous studies have identified that e.g., leadership and organisational climate, training and coaching, alignment with other organisational systems and initiatives, time and resources and staff permanency influence implementation of practice models (Antle et al, 2012;Lambert, Richards, & Merrill, 2016;Sanclimenti, Caceda-Castro, & DeSantis, 2017;Sheehan et al, 2018).…”

Signs of Safety: lessons learnt from evaluations

“…Fidelity had not been explored in any detail in most evaluations of SoS until a team at Casey Family programs did so. This team conducted a dedicated project on fidelity and SoS (Casey Family Programs, 2016; Roberts et al , 2018). They used a Delphi survey process with 70 experts from nine countries to identify key practice elements that could be assessed by managers or supervisors.…”