Organizational Consultations

At the Safe & Together Institute, we are committed to real systems change that involves transforming your agency and your partnerships with other players in the child wellness ecosystem to become more domestic abuse–informed and child-centered.

We offer in-depth organizational consultations that involve coaching key local agency personnel, including subject matter experts, in implementing a participatory assessment of a statutory child welfare agency’s key areas of policy and practice from a domestic abuse–informed perspective.

A domestic abuse–informed agency will not only see improved outcomes for adult and child survivors but also internal practice improvements leading to greater worker safety, satisfaction, organizational stability, and increased efficacy in working with community partners. Our shared success sees both child and adult survivors, as well as your professionals, become more safe, stable, self-determined, and satisfied.

The goals of our organizational consultations are:

  • To coach key staff in a reflective process based on the domestic abuse–informed continuum. As opposed to a mostly passive assessment when an outside entity comes in, this engages the critical thinking skills of the staff, which in itself can help promote organizational change.

  • To evaluate the agencies key activities, functions, policies, and resources to determine strengths and needs related to domestic abuse–informed policy and practice.

  • To produce a report that summarizes strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations.

  • To maximize funding by using online learning and virtual coaching sessions to support a facilitated process.

  • To provide an external, expert review of the results.

  • To produce a report that can be shared internal to facilitate wider discussion and form the foundational for a change plan.

Interested in an in-depth organizational consultation for your agency? Contact us today.

Want to do your own basic assessment? Download our free tool.

Why Invest in an Organizational Consultation?

Systems that become more domestic abuse–informed move toward:

  • Keeping more children in their own homes with their protective parent

  • Improving their partnerships with survivors and their advocates

  • Improving interventions with perpetrators

  • Reducing their ability to be used by perpetrators to control the adult and child survivors

  • Moving closer to equity goals

  • Improving staff morale, retention, safety, and performance

  • Reducing costs associated with out-of-home placements

  • Providing better supervision and support for their staff

  • Meeting agency key performance measures

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 FAQs

    • Policy

    • Training

    • Supervision/coaching/professional development

    • Agency funded services/services used

    • Court filings/Legal

    • Data collection

    • Collaboration participation

    • Quality assurance processes

    • Case practice (case file review)

  • Our consultation is a facilitated self-assessment, supported with training and coaching of local staff in key domestic abuse–informed areas, that involves the following steps:

    • A pre-meeting or communication with identified agency leadership to discuss:

      • Process, key staff involvement, and timeline with key milestones

      • Training and coaching plans

      • Assignments

      • Case selection for case file review process

      • Identification of agency project lead to coordinate work with Safe & Together Institute staff

    • Completion of an initial scoping survey to ensure that the assessment and coaching is tailored to the local context

    • Pre-orientation communication to team members that includes a training on the organizational assessment process via email

    • A 1.5-hour orientation with S&TI staff via Zoom call that:

      • Introduces the process to the organizational review team

      • Engages the team around initial scan of environment including key unique issues and priorities

      • Discussion of responsibilities and possible team formation

    • Virtual training via four online courses

      • All agency team members must complete prior to beginning actual self-assessment

    • Second 1.5-hour team meeting with S&TI staff via Zoom call to:

      • Discuss online courses as it relates to key questions and assessment processes

      • Review implementation plan

    • Agency implementation of self-assessment plan

    • Midway 1.5-hour coaching session with S&TI staff to:

      • Troubleshoot any issues that occur

      • Answer any content questions

    • Agency submits completed tools and any related materials

    • S&TI reviews tools and begins to formulate initial draft report and recommendations

    • A 1.5-2-hour meeting to discuss of preliminary results

    • Production of report

    • Presentation of results via Zoom call (in-person presentation would incur an extra fee)

    • Organizational assessment tools and processes

    • Pre- and post-testing of the participants

    • An evaluation of the process

    • A Safe & Together Institute organizational assessment coaching and review team

    • Access to four online courses

      • Safe & Together: An Introduction to the Model

      • Multiple Pathways to Harm: A Comprehensive Assessment Framework

      • Working with Men as Parents: Fathers’ Parenting Choices Matter

      • Intersections: Where Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health Meet

    • Zoom platform for coaching calls

    • Final report (digital format)

  • Your agency will need to:

    • Identify agency project team and lead

    • Create identified teams or individuals to complete each activity required (e.g., initial scoping survey)

    • Ensure ability to participate in video calls with audio equipment that allows for easy participation of all team members

    • Provide emails and contact information for all team members prior to orientation meeting

    • A cross-systems assessment

      • While it asks some questions that touch on other systems (e.g., services funded or used by child protection staff), it does not assess the policy and practices of other entities.

    • A community of practice

    • A juvenile justice or child behavioral health program policy and practice review

    • A review of court practices

  • Yes, we can provide a variety of consultations, from analyzing policy to implementation support. Please reach out to us to learn more.