Start seeing more consistent outcomes with a unified practice model.

We work in tandem with your agency to understand where you’re at, where you want to go, and how to get there. We work with you to create your unique practice model so you’re confident you’re on the right path for your agency.

Build a foundation that allows you to move forward with purpose, vision, and clarity.

We start where you are. Our goal is to help you refine and strengthen your work and initiatives already invested in your agency and collaboratively create a clear practice model.

Our ReSolutions Together practice model design starts with a free organizational assessment to uncover your agency’s goals, strengths, and areas of growth. Then we’ll work with your organization to create a foundation of guiding principles and practices based on research.

Once we have a shared vision for your agency, we’ll help you create practical tools and realistic processes based on tested methods to help practitioners, supervisors, and leaders gain clarity and purpose that drives their day-to-day work.

Why Practice Model Design works:

Practitioners don’t have to figure it out alone.

Our child welfare experts walk alongside practitioners and supervisors to build a practice model that everyone feels good about — and that works in the real world.

Supervisors are equipped to support their team.

A unified, focused direction helps supervisors give consistent feedback that grows workers in their practice, while supporting them well during high-risk cases to help avoid burnout.

Leaders are empowered to affect real change.

Leaders can create buy-in among staff and propel positive momentum with a custom practice approach that touches the whole organization — and beyond.

Supervisors are equipped to support their team.

A unified, focused direction helps supervisors give consistent feedback that grows workers in their practice, while supporting them well during high-risk cases to help avoid burnout.

Agencies build trust through consistency.

With a unified practice model your families will experience less variance between practitioners with better long-term outcomes.

Our Philosophy:

Our Team

To maximize our impact, our team of child welfare specialists, tech innovators, and consultants are passionate about sharing their combined 70+ years of experience in the child welfare profession with practitioners, agencies, and other child-welfare oriented organizations.

Andrea Robideau

LMFT, MA

Operating Officer, Integrator (EOS), Consultant & Trainer

Andrea is driven to see advancements in technology uncover and advance ‘what works’ in human service professions. As Operating Officer, she connects the team’s vision and strategy to delivery, helping SafeGenerations provide innovative ways for child welfare organizations to improve service quality.

Since joining SafeGenerations in 2007, Andrea has worked with families in crisis, front-line practitioners, and leaders throughout child-welfare systems, supporting both small and large practice model implementations. Her favorite part of consulting is seeing teams leverage their unique gifts to create practical action toward their vision.

Andrea envisions leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate the effectiveness of human interactions in child welfare. She is passionate about exploring how AI can enhance decision-making, streamline processes, and provide deeper insights into human behavior, ultimately leading to better outcomes for families and communities.

Bill Schulenberg

LMFT, MA

Director of Training, Consultant & Trainer

Bill never envisioned a career in child welfare. After graduating from St. Olaf with degrees in Biology and Religion, his path led him to work with high-risk teens. Seeking a deeper understanding of their challenges, he earned a Master’s in Psychotherapy. This led to his role at SafeGenerations, where he helps parents, social workers, and leaders rediscover their strengths amidst overwhelming circumstances. Bill’s expertise lies in practical training and consulting with agency leaders, empowering them to drive meaningful change. He’s proud to contribute to SafeGen’s mission of inspiring hope and progress in the child welfare field.

Dan McCormick

Executive Officer, Technology Officer, Visionary (EOS)

With over 30 years of leadership experience, Dan McCormick has led global technology teams and driven revenue and acquisitions totaling billions of dollars for Fortune 100 companies and startups. Dan also has extensive experience in the social service sector, originally joining SafeGenerations in 2001 as a board member and as Regional Director, North America for Signs of Safety® from 2013-2017.

As Executive & Technical Officer Dan is dedicated to aligning technology with people, practices, and principles to multiply the positive impact on families and communities. He is focused on answering a vital question, “How can technology clear the way for all of us to connect more deeply with the humanness of humanity and help families build a safe, nurturing environment for the kids that they love?”

Sarah Sundman

LICSW, MA

Director of Family Services & Resources, Consultant & Trainer

Sarah began her career in child welfare in 2002, where she spent nine years in child protection organizations as a case manager, forensic interviewer, and foster care licensor. During that time she delved deeply into Signs of Safety practice and the Resolutions Approach.

Staying connected to frontline practice keeps her grounded, energized, and continuously learning. Sarah’s hands-on experience with families allows her to connect meaningfully with practitioners and consult with agency leaders on systemic changes. She believes that child safety is a collaborative effort and that families and networks can be empowered to ensure long-term safety for their children. At SafeGenerations, she’s enjoyed collaborating on the development and implementation of the Guided Practice App, which supports practitioners and supervisors in real-time and provides meaningful insights to organizations to continue enhancing practice.

Sarah holds a Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor’s degree from Winona State University.

Sherry Amelse

Director of Implementations, Consultant & Trainer

Sherry brings nearly three decades of hands-on experience in child welfare to her role as an organizational consultant and Director of Implementations at SafeGenerations. Since joining the team in 2015, she has been instrumental in driving organizational transformation for child welfare agencies, large and small.

Her work is informed by nearly two decades as a child welfare practitioner in Minnesota. Sherry has served as a key consultant to New York Office of Children and Family Services, Missouri Children’s Division, and Kansas Department for Children and Families, helping them customize and implement collaborative, solution-focused practice approaches.

Sharon Meschke

Office Administrator

As the Finance Administrator, Sharon is responsible for the bookkeeping functions of the organization as well as Payroll, HR, office logistics, and generally keeping the SafeGenerations team running behind the scenes. She started working with the SafeGen Team in 2009 and brought with her over 20 years experience in the accounting & bookkeeping field, working in banking, healthcare, and non-profit sectors.

Sharon enjoys working with a team that she admires for their commitment, passion, innovation & ability to adapt, all with their strong vision of making a difference in child welfare systems. The core values of the organization guide every aspect of their work and interactions, making this an organization that she feels proud to support.

Susie Essex

BA Hons, CQSW, DASS, DSA

ReSolutions Together Co-Developer and Advisor

Susie has over 40 years of experience in Child Protection, including roles as a Child Psychiatric Social Worker, Child Protection Manager, Training Manager, Consultant Family and Systemic Psychotherapist, Lecturer at the University of Bristol, and Head of Family Therapy Service.

In the early 1990s, Susie co-developed the ReSolutions approach to address denied/disputed Child Protection concerns, focusing on the welfare and safety of children. This method is now used internationally and emphasizes openness and creating safe networks for children.

Susie is now retired and lives in Cornwall, UK.

Our Team of Affiliates

Chad Hayenga

LMFT, MA

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Eric Sulkers

MD, Pediatrician, PhD

Eric Sulkers is a pediatrician from the Netherlands, specializing in child protection, endocrinology and diabetes. Eric has experience with the Resolutions Approach, the Signs of Safety approach along with other child protection models based on training he has received since 2006. This included co-hosting and sometimes co-presenting with individuals including Susie Essex, Andrew Turnell, Peter de Jong, Rob Saywer, Sue Lohrbach, Sonja Parker and Adriana Uken.

Eric hosted numerous workshops with Susie Essex where he video recorded Susie leading role-plays with actors to capture her work. In recent years Eric has spent many hours subtitling these videos to understand from a systemic perspective what motivational techniques Susie used to get parents engaged in the journey towards safety.

From 2006- 2017, Eric was the primary consultant to the Child Protection agency in Zeeland, a southwest province of the Netherlands. As part of that role, he was central in developing the use of the Signs of Safety (SofS) approach in Zeeland. Eric also established a high risk pregnancy project and a domestic violence project that were both grounded in Signs of Safety.

Eric is currently a trainer in Motivational Interviewing and in Solution-focused Therapy in the Korzybski Institute (Bruges) and in the Solutions Centre (Soesterberg).

Gaelin Elmore

Gaelin Elmore is a dynamic and nationally sought-after keynote speaker, trainer, and thought leader. He works with organizations and people to become belonging-informed in order to help children overcome trauma and unleash their potential. Gaelin’s passion and energy for his work stems from his heart for justice and his own lived experience. His own belonging journey has led Gaelin to the National Football League, and now stages, board rooms, and organizations, all across the country, aiming to inspire, encourage, and equip others to think differently about their work and its long-term impact on others. Gaelin now lives in Eden Prairie, MN, where he gets to experience the purest form of belonging as a husband to his wife, Micaela, and dad to their two daughters, Laniah and Tatum.

Kay Whyte-Bell

MA, Soc.Sci

Consultant, Trainer, Coach, Practitioner, Owner & Director, Arise Leadershop – ROK, UK

Kay has 34 years experience of working as a practitioner, Leader and Strategic Adviser in child welfare and child protection in the UK, Europe and USA. Kay also runs her own successful business that includes Coaching and Mentoring of Senior Managers and Leaders from diverse backgrounds. During her many years of experience, Kay has also held high level positions specifically focused on Race and Equality, developing policy, procedure, training and auditing of strategic Equalities Plans as well as leading serious incident child care learning reviews that have focused on outcomes for children or young people from Black African heritage.

Ophelia Mac-Kwashie

Consultant, Trainer, Owner, En Hel By – ROK, Sweden

Ophelia Mac-Kwashie is a Social Worker who has 22 years of experience in the child protection field in Sweden. Ophelia has always been passionate about her work with children and families and has for the past eight years been working as Independent Social Worker and takes on difficult cases while at the same time supports and guides Child Protection Services in Sweden, mostly in cases involving children with different ethnic backgrounds. As a Social Worker with African origin, Ophelia is not unfamiliar with the treatment Africans and marginalized groups receive when they have to deal with the Child Protection Services in Sweden. Ophelia has reached a stage in her dedication to Child Protection work to create a forum that will enable Child Protection Services in Sweden to start having conversation and discussion about this delicate topic.

Rob Maragh

Consultant, Trainer, Non-Executive Director, Director

Rob Maragh has 36 years in children’s services as a practitioner, team manager and for 20 years Head of Service in a LAs in London and the South East England. Rob has innovated services pan London and was the Director of services for refugee and children and parents affected by life limited illnesses including HIV/AIDS. Rob is a non-executive director of 2 agencies in Health and Housing. He now works as a independent consultant working with agencies and professionals on anti-racist leadership and practice.

Sarah Kulesa

Sarah Kulesa has been a Child Protection and Children’s Mental Health ongoing case manager since 2005; over eight of those years have been at Carver County using the Signs of Safety framework. Sarah’s work has evolved throughout the years with direct guidance from Dr. Turnell through an exemplar case which consisted of denied child abuse where Sarah learned to use the safety goals and case-specific safety scales to drive cases forward. Sarah has been involved in training the state of Minnesota, the state of Maine, and other jurisdictions both in the US and Canada. Sarah uses humor and her vulnerability to show examples of current work as a way to connect with other social workers and supervisors.

FAQs

How long does it take to get started with a custom practice approach?

While it depends on the size and structure of your organization, our experienced team will guide you through each step of the process. Getting started with the Resolutions Together practice model typically takes between 8-12 weeks.

How can I measure the impact of the custom practice approach?

In addition to your current goal-tracking methods, we recommend using our SafeGen Platform to help you measure progress in real-time.

Is my organization too big, too small, or too siloed for a consistent practice approach?

There’s no such thing as the “right size” to benefit from the ReSolutions Together practice model. While the inner working of each organization are unique, we’ve found that the core principles to a successful practice are universal.

Still have a question?

Let’s expand your impact.

Speak with us today to learn how we can help your organization craft your practice model.

Start seeing more consistent outcomes with a unified practice model.

Build a foundation that allows you to move forward with purpose, vision, and clarity.

Why Practice Model Design works:

Practitioners don’t have to figure it out alone.

Supervisors are equipped to support their team.

Leaders are empowered to affect real change.

Supervisors are equipped to support their team.

Agencies build trust through consistency.

Our Philosophy: