What are some ways to cultivate staff support by building a safety culture?
Building a safety culture — one that features open communication based on trust, a non-punitive approach to event reporting and analysis, and a commitment to being a learning organization – takes significant time and effort. In these short videos, Bonnie Hommrich, commissioner of Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services, talks about the agency’s efforts to build trust with staff as part of their ongoing safety culture work. In the first video, Commmisioner Hommrich emphasizes the need for regular communication with staff soliciting feedback about how safe they are feeling in their roles. The second video urges patience when building an agencywide safety culture, and making sure that you are listening and responding to staff needs.
Bonnie Hommrich speaks to the importance of consistently listening to the concerns of child welfare professionals and making visible changes in practice and policy in response. These feedback loops help to build a safety culture — one that features open communication based on trust, a nonpunitive approach to event reporting and analysis, and a commitment to being a learning organization.
Successfully establishing a safety culture — one that features open communication based on trust, a nonpunitive approach to event reporting and analysis, and a commitment to being a learning organization — can support a decrease in caseworker turnover. According to Bonnie Hommrich child welfare staff that are well-trained, feel supported, and feel they have a voice in their organization are better able to concentrate on the most important part of their job: being responsive to children and families.