About the Licensing Program

Internationally, the Signs of Safety® is widely regarded as the leading participatory approach to child protection practice currently available. Agencies in dozens of countries are using the approach at some level and many are undertaking whole system implementations.

Elia was set up in 2019 by Andrew Turnell (co-creator of the approach with Steve Edwards) as a membership-based international organisation to be the home of the Signs of Safety and holder of the Signs of Safety trademarks and intellectual property. Elia is committed to:

• Ensuring the Signs of Safety model and brand are maintained to the highest standard;

• Creating a learning community of Signs of Safety Licensed Trainers and Consultants who can learn from each other and lead the continuing development of the approach;

• Supporting Signs of Safety Licensed Trainers and Consultants with the latest developments, research and materials;

• Ensuring that training and consultation are delivered at the highest standards by people with extensive knowledge and experience of the approach.

The core purpose of the licensing program is to establish and support an international community of accredited Signs of Safety Trainers and Consultants. These licensed professionals can fulfil the potential of the Signs of Safety to transform child protection practice into services that place parents, children and those naturally connected to them at the centre of the assessment, planning and safety building work. Since child protection practice is defined not simply by a practice approach but very largely by organisational procedures, recording and QA systems, leadership and culture, an important part of the trainers and consultants’ work lies in assisting implementing organisations to align their existing system to the Signs of Safety practice approach.

Who needs to be licensed?

• Any professional charging fees for Signs of Safety training or consulting services.

• Training organisations that are charging for Signs of Safety training and consulting services.

• Universities teaching courses focused on the Signs of Safety that are designed to equip students to use the approach in practice or equip them to teach others. Universities charging for training and consulting services to third party organisations will need to license each of the individual Signs of Safety teaching staff.

Who doesn’t need to be licensed?

• Professionals who are teaching about the Signs of Safety but are not charging for their time.

• Internal agency trainers.

• Universities that teach Signs of Safety material as one method among many in undergraduate or postgraduate courses and that do not promote or seek to prepare students to train or teach others in the approach.

What about child protection agencies that want their staff to use the approach?

The Signs of Safety approach is an open platform for practitioners and agencies. Therefore, organisations that want their staff to use the approach need to decide whether they want to go it alone or develop their expertise working with accredited trainers who are part of the international Signs of Safety leadership community. Organisations and practitioners are welcome to utilise the approach based on publicly available materials but do so at their own risk. Any such practice cannot receive endorsement from Elia, or from the Signs of Safety community of Licensed Trainers and Consultants. Organisations that want to understand and implement the approach at its best should utilise Licensed Trainers and/or Consultants. A child protection organisation, either statutory or non-government, can also apply for internal training staff to be licensed to teach the Signs of Safety, which will ensure the highest standards in training and practice.

Ensuring quality

While growing and supporting a strong community of endorsed, experienced trainers and consultants, Elia will restrain unaccredited, unendorsed trainers or consultants who are commercially exploiting the Signs of Safety approach, whether they operate independently, within training organisations or in a university/college environment. Where necessary, Elia will use legal mechanisms to defend the use of the Signs of Safety trademark and intellectual property, thereby maintaining strong quality standards and increasing the value and marketability of the Signs of Safety licence.

Elia does not grant exclusive rights over geographical regions when licensing trainers or consultants. Provided the licensing requirements are met by applicants, multiple trainer and consultant licences may be granted for any given district, city, state or country. The goal of the licensing program is to uphold the quality of the model rather than create exclusivity within regions.

LicenCe Application Fee

An initial application fee of $1,000 AUD (Australian dollars) plus GST (if applicable) is required for either trainers or consultants. If applying to be both a trainer and a consultant, the application fee is $2,000 AUD plus GST (if applicable). The application fee covers administration duties and the time required by Regional Directors to review and provide feedback on applications.

Royalty Fees

Between 15–25% of all fees charged by the trainer and/or consultant for their services is paid to Elia for the commercial use of the Signs of Safety trademark, intellectual property, products and services.

This fee helps to enable Elia to:

• create Signs of Safety resources, documentation and training materials;

• manage the licensing program; and

• provide significant, continued support to all trainers and consultants.

The materials and support included in these fees are outlined in What Elia and the licensing arrangements will provide to licensed trainers and consultants.

Accounts for royalty fees are settled quarterly, with each three months’ revenue figures to be submitted within 14 days after the quarter ends. For example, revenue figures for the first quarter (January – March) are due on 30 April of that year. Elia then issues an invoice for the reported amount, payment of which is due within 45 days.

What is required from licensed Trainers and Consultants

Being part of the ongoing learning journey of Signs of Safety

The Signs of Safety is a mature approach, yet it continues to evolve. The approach develops and is refined from the expanding knowledge of what works for practitioners, agencies and service recipients. This means that those who lead the approach need to continue growing in their professional journey with the Signs of Safety. Elia will require and support trainers and consultants to continually deepen their understanding and experience with the Signs of Safety, thereby growing their capacity to lead others in the approach. To maintain their Signs of Safety accreditation, licensed trainers and consultants need to demonstrate continued learning and make an ongoing contribution to the development of the model. Trainer and consultant licences are granted for a one-year term and re-assessed on a yearly basis.

As part of this ongoing learning journey, Signs of Safety Trainers and Consultants need to:

• demonstrate an ongoing commitment to continuous learning with practitioners, organisations and the broader Signs of Safety community in all aspects of the approach;

• attend one Signs of Safety Trainers and Consultants Gathering run by Elia at least once every two years (self-funded);

• participate in individual and small group consulting sessions with approved Members of the Elia Community (face-to-face or by video);

• attend at least one International Signs of Safety Gathering every two years and, wherever possible, support presentations by agencies and practitioners they work with; and

• contribute one substantial Signs of Safety Knowledge Bank resource each year.

Contribution to shared knowledge

The unique and most powerful attribute of the Signs of Safety is that it is a practitioner’s model. The Signs of Safety is grounded in, and continues to evolve from, actual examples of what works for practitioners and service recipients and building understanding of the best organisational structures that support this work in child protection agencies. The approach generates interest and excitement because practitioners and agencies are given direct guidance, tools, methods and skills about what to do in their direct work with families, while managers and directors are guided in how to lead their agencies towards more constructive practice. A very significant amount of Andrew Turnell’s work over the past 20 years has involved capturing, documenting and sharing examples of Signs of Safety informed practice from workers around the world. The Signs of Safety Gatherings have also been a key forum for advancing the collective knowledge of the approach in action. This is the Appreciative Inquiry ‘engine room’ of the Signs of Safety approach focusing always on what works, evolving the approach, and building vision and energy from that foundation.

Endorsed Signs of Safety Trainers and Consultants are the primary international leaders of the approach. They are expected to demonstrate their commitment to the action learning foundations of the Signs of Safety, by annually preparing and documenting practice examples, training materials or implementation initiatives from the practitioners and agencies they work with. These examples will continue to build the shared Signs of Safety Knowledge Bank in de-identified format for all endorsed trainers and consultants.

While the licensing and accreditation may seem to be an impost on trainers’ and consultants’ income and business, the value of the licensing program far outweighs those costs. The Signs of Safety accreditation has become established as the international benchmark that child protection agencies and professionals look for when commissioning training and consultancy. After becoming accredited and joining the international Signs of Safety leadership community, Elia will promote the trainer or consultant, their business and products through www.signsofsafety.net and will draw on and promote these individuals around the world. Signs of Safety accreditation increases the status, income, reach and influence of the accredited trainer and consultant within the Signs of Safety and broader child protection community.

Elia regularly negotiates and establishes whole agency implementation contracts with large regional and country wide child protection systems. These contracts provide considerable employment for licensed trainers and consultants. This contracting work is undertaken through Elia.

Endorsement

Elia will formally endorse and promote licensed trainers and consultants.

Licensed trainers and consultants will be endorsed and promoted on SignsofSafety.net through Signs of Safety Facebook page and other digital platforms.

Licensed trainers and consultants will have the exclusive right to promote themselves and their certification using the official Signs of Safety branding, including the Signs of Safety logo.

Promotion

SignsofSafety.net run by Elia, is the leading site for information about Signs of Safety. The site attracts approximately 250 unique visitors and over 1,000 page views per day. Licensed trainers each have a profile page as well as the opportunity to promote their activities and training events on the site at no additional cost.

If licensed trainers have products to sell, they may sell these through the Signs of Safety online store, pending product approval from Elia. Products will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Information about the fees and sales structure of the SignsofSafety.net store is available on request. Please contact licensing@elia.ngo

Community

The most significant benefit for licensed Signs of Safety Trainers and Consultants is that they become part of a unique international community of professionals committed to transforming child protection practice and organisation. Trainers and consultants stay connected through participating in Gatherings, online supervision, web based forums, leading trainings together, and are constantly supporting and challenging each other, exchanging and developing ideas and are able to draw on support and advice from expert advisors.

Support

Licensed trainers/consultants will have an ongoing relationship with Elia and receive support in their Signs of Safety consultation and training as well as in marketing, promoting and building their business. The team at Elia will do everything possible to support licensed trainers and consultants.

The licensed trainer/consultant community are also constantly working together on different projects, including training, research, developing resources, lobbying government, organising events and other undertakings. This builds the momentum and energy of the approach and the whole community.

Signs of Safety Trainers and Consultant Development Days and Gatherings

Elia holds regular Signs of Safety Trainers and Consultants Development Days and Gatherings to support and grow consultants and trainers in their work.

Professional Development

Ongoing professional learning and development for trainers and consultants is provided in the following ways:

• Twice-monthly 2-hour learning and development sessions focused on practice, implementation and Elia business.

• Specialist sessions — for example Aboriginal Learning Exchange.

• An annual Elia Gathering for staff and trainers and consultants.

• Opportunities to participate in whole system learning cases, workshops and webinars alongside lead consultants.

• Access to all Knowledge Bank resources including specific resources for trainers and consultants on implementation and training.

• A reciprocal peer review buddy system for trainer and consultant resources submitted to the Knowledge Bank for re-licensing.

Elia uses Zoom as its video conference platform. All Signs of Safety consultants and trainers will use this platform to participate in learning and development sessions with Elia via video conference.

Learning and Training Materials

Licensed trainers will have access to the following supports and opportunities, and the Signs of Safety Knowledge Bank of resources, including:

• Elia’s catalogue of training DVDs

• The Signs of Safety Briefing Paper with permission to distribute to trainees and clients

• Assorted videos, some suitable for use in training, others for personal learning

• Appreciative Inquiries with practitioners and service recipients wherever permissions are available. Signs of Safety Mapping, Safety Planning, Case Consultation

• All available past Signs of Safety Gathering Presentations

• Participation via video link in live Signs of Safety consultations in many places around the globe

• Materials reflecting the latest developments in the Signs of Safety from around the world

• Training exercises, training materials and PowerPoint presentations for all aspects of Signs of Safety, including Mapping, Safety Planning, Words and Pictures, My Three Houses and other work with children, implementation, research and outcome data

• Participation by video link in practice and implementation consultations led by Elia’s trainer/consultants

• Assistance from Elia for Trainers/Consultants to design training exercises, training packages, organisational implementation strategies and plans tailored to their needs and context

• Case examples such as display copies of Words and Pictures, Safety Plans, Signs of Safety Mappings, children’s tools examples; full written case examples; PowerPoint slides of Words and Pictures, Safety Plans, Signs of Safety Mappings, children’s tools examples

• Signs of Safety branded materials including logo, letterhead template, flyer template, name badge with Signs of Safety logo, email signature

• 20% discount for licensed trainers/consultants to attend any event run by Elia, including residencies and Gatherings

PRE-REQUISITES TO BECOME A TRAINER OR CONSULTANT

Elia welcomes applications from experienced child protection professionals who have a comprehensive understanding and extensive experience with the Signs of Safety and who want to develop their skills to become a Signs of Safety trainer. Neither Elia nor the international Signs of Safety community offers a stand-alone train-the-trainer process that is typical of many licensed helping or therapy approaches.

It is expected that individuals wanting to apply to be licensed will usually have:

• A minimum of 6 years’ experience in child protection work

• 3 years’ direct experience of using the Signs of Safety approach within a child protection/child welfare agency.

Applicants need to have a comprehensive understanding of and high level skills in:

• The Signs of Safety philosophy

• Practice principals

• Questioning skills

• Signs of Safety assessment, children’s tools, safety planning and case trajectory development (applying the approach across the life of case)

• Signs of Safety Group supervision

• Appreciative Inquiry and its central place in the Signs of Safety approach

In building their experience with the Signs of Safety, professionals wanting to be licensed would usually have attended and completed:

• Basic two or three-day training in Signs of Safety Assessment and the My Three Houses children’s tool (and variations)

• Training in Safety Planning and have a strong foundation in the questioning skills and Appreciative Inquiry

• Several five-day Signs of Safety advanced trainings (often referred to as a Signs of Safety Residency)

• At least one International Signs of Safety Gathering

From this foundation of training and practice experience, professionals interested in becoming licensed usually get involved in supervising, teaching and leading the practice within their agency and thereby develop their capacity to teach the approach.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING LICENSED?

We are looking for professionals who:

• Are experienced in the Signs of Safety; who want to develop their expertise and work as part of the international community of Signs of Safety trainers and consultants

• Want to grow themselves and the Signs of Safety approach and are committed to sharing their experience of this journey. We are looking for professionals who want to bring the approach to practitioners and particularly to organisations

• Want to do the hard but exciting work of building a revolution in the way child protection is thought about and practiced, so there is a better chance of parents and children being placed at the centre of the work.

Signs of Safety LicenCe Application Process

If you are interested in making an application to become a Signs of Safety Trainer or Consultant, please contact your local Regional Contact, then complete either a Trainer Application Form, or a Consultant Application Form. We are pausing the application process to become a Signs of Safety Consultant at this time. The link to the application form will be reinstated in the near future. We will be in touch with you following this, to start your application.

For licensing and membership enquiries, please contact licensing@elia.ngo at Elia.
For practice and questions about Signs of Safety, please contact Catherine Mullin, interim contact for Practice at Elia.