Emma Hopper has spent over 14 years working in front line child protection, both as a practitioner and a manager. She has been using the Signs of Safety approach in all areas of her practice since 2010 and in 2014, became a licensed Signs of Safety Trainer.
Whilst working in North Yorkshire, as a Team Manager and Practice Lead for Signs of Safety, she also worked closely with senior managers to lead and support the implementation of the Signs of Safety and their wider organisational change through using the approach and its principles.

Since 2010 the Signs of Safety approach has been used in all aspects of Emma’s work through the whole process of CSC involvement. This included structuring and strengthening the front door service through to Child Protection Conferences, PLO and Court Proceedings.

Over the last two years, Emma has also worked as the lead for training North Yorkshire’s workforce in the approach and since that time, has trained both practitioners and managers from Early Help, Social Care and partner agencies. In addition to this she has directly consulted in a variety of teams within North Yorkshire to help strengthen the implementation. This was through modelling the approach through case consultation, family meetings, home visits and in multi-agency forums. Emma has developed a particular interest in the Words & Pictures to help families develop an explanation to their children of the Social Care involvement. She has also included using an Appreciative Inquiry model in both Group and 1:1 supervision and with families in order to understand what works well for families and practitioners, and to deepen and broaden knowledge of practitioners through critical reflection. Since 2010 Emma has presented her work at a number of major UK Signs of Safety events and joined up with other implementing authorities to share and grow ideas and best intelligence around the use.