The most common phrase, all over the world, from Child Protection Social workers is “We don’t have time”
So in Child Protection work, the notion of slowing down can cause all sorts of anxious reactions.
I get it, I really do.
There is a never ending pile of work to do, the work seems gets more and more, and more and more complex, resources seem to get less and less, staff retention all over the globe seems to be at an all time low - vacancies rates are out of control in many jurisdictions.
Even in the most well resourced agencies, ‘not enough time’ is the number one factor impacting the work.
(And….committed workers still turn up, physically, emotionally, intellectually every day)
So when we say “You have to slow down to speed up” people can react really strongly
And it remains the case, the most important time to slow down is when you’re under pressure, when you feel at your edge, when you’re pushed out of courage and into terror, when you feel there is too much to do, too much that needs your immediate attention, when you’re being pushed and pulled in every which way.
(this applies life generally not just to CP. Have you ever noticed that its the you feel like this you do dumb shit, make mistakes, lose your keys, back your car into a pole, forget something crucial, snap at people? )
Group Supervision is one of the Signs of Safety’s key learning methods.
It is designed, and requires us, to use slow thinking. So that we maximise the time we have and bring grounded, purposeful and intelligent focus to the work we are doing.
When we are in that reactionary space of ‘this is urgent’ we need to call on clearly developed and shared practices that enable us to react with the urgency a situation requires , and also slow down. We need to do this so we approach the work with razor sharp intelligence and maximum compassion.
Child Protection work is always a fine balance;
of doing the work alongside the families with the urgency it requires ~ especially when children are taken into out of home care, and every minute they’re away from those people they belong to is critical;
and slowing down enough to ensure the work is grounded in first principles of clear focused analysis, child safety, connection and belonging.
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