Our Philosophy & Approach

Learn how we help transform organizations and their systems

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The Collaborative Safety Model Explained

Our process and how it works

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Many agencies are struggling with systems that are outdated and lack nuance. Which is why when faced with a failure of any kind,  executives may be pressured to react by firing employees, writing new policies, or retraining staff. Instead of being stuck in outdated safety models of the past, we have developed a better way. 


At Collaborative Safety, we empower organizations to work together and adopt safe systems of accountability. We believe people aren’t the problem, they’re the solution. The Collaborative Safety Model ensures everyone in your organization is equipped with the necessary tools for individual and organization success. Watch the video below for an overview of our approach or see it displayed below.

We Equip You to Make Three Transitions

to create a systemic and proactive culture of safety within your organization

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Traditional approaches often point fingers at workers when organizational missteps occur, leading to punitive actions. However, this approach is counterproductive and doesn't promote true accountability. At Collaborative Safety, we support organizations to shift from this blame-driven paradigm. Our Collaborative Safety Model promotes organizational responsibility, ensuring that improvements are agency-driven rather than targeting individual employees.

After setbacks, many organizations might opt for seemingly immediate solutions, such as employee terminations, policy modifications, or staff retraining. While these might give a temporary sense of resolution, they don't address the deeper systemic issues that led to the problem. Instead of merely addressing the symptoms, our approach emphasizes understanding and rectifying the systemic issues, ensuring a more sustainable and effective solution.

In the wake of failure, it is tempting for agencies to use quick fixes such as firing employees, adding new policy or retraining staff. This leaves agencies with the false impression that a problem has been resolved. However, agencies are still left with the systemic constraints and influences that contributed to an adverse event. This is commonly seen as treating symptoms instead of the source of the illness. Instead, agencies need to track and address the underlying systemic factors that are present in many adverse events and are likely to be present in the future.

Traditional corrective measures often center around imposing new rules, training sessions, or compliance checks on individual staff members, inadvertently increasing their workload and complicating processes. We believe that staff members are invaluable assets, and the key to enhancing safety lies in facilitating their work, not hindering it. By eliminating obstacles and offering supportive systems, we help staff contribute positively to organizational goals. Furthermore, we champion the idea that staff, with their unique insights and experiences, should have a voice in shaping safety measures, ensuring a more holistic and informed approach to safety.

The Collaborative Safety Model

Years of research in Safety Science integrated with deep knowledge of Behavioral Analysis, Forensic Interviewing and Trauma Informed Care distilled into one model to support every role and function of your organization.

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Culture Driven Leadership

Transform culture through leadership that fosters trust, transparency, and engagement. Our Culture-Driven Leadership training and supports equip supervisors, managers and leaders with the language and skills to navigate challenges, support their teams, and encourage open dialogue. Leaders learn to create an environment where staff share their experiences without fear, shifting from a culture of blame to one where their employees actively contribute to the improvement process.

Systemic Learning

Uncover how decisions, resources, and external influences shape daily agency operations. Based in safety science, this approach moves beyond surface-level analysis to identify deeper systemic challenges and opportunities for improvement. By prioritizing staff insights at all levels, Systemic Learning shifts agencies from reactive responses to proactive, informed organizational design, fostering continuous improvement.

Operational Integration

Embed safety science principles into daily operations by equipping key roles—such as, HR, CQI, and leadership—with tools to uncover the systemic challenges within their workflows. This further ensures frontline perspectives are not just heard but actively shape organizational improvement efforts. By integrating these insights into existing systems, we move beyond a transformative vision to sustained, meaningful culture change.

System Alignment

Create a unified, system-wide commitment to culture change. Through tailored Institutes, Orientations and other activities, we ensure the entire system including executives, management, frontline staff as well as system partners, and stakeholders all develop a shared understanding of safety science principles. This alignment builds consistency in practice and vision, strengthening a cohesive and sustainable shift toward a safety culture.

The Collaborative Safety Model

Years of research in Safety Science integrated with deep knowledge of Behavioral Analysis, Forensic Interviewing and Trauma Informed Care distilled into one model to support every role and function of your organization.

Schedule a Call

Culture Driven Leadership

Transform culture through leadership that fosters trust, transparency, and engagement. Our Culture-Driven Leadership training and supports equip supervisors, managers and leaders with the language and skills to navigate challenges, support their teams, and encourage open dialogue. Leaders learn to create an environment where staff share their experiences without fear, shifting from a culture of blame to one where their employees actively contribute to the improvement process.

Systemic Learning

Uncover how decisions, resources, and external influences shape daily agency operations. Based in safety science, this approach moves beyond surface-level analysis to identify deeper systemic challenges and opportunities for improvement. By prioritizing staff insights at all levels, Systemic Learning shifts agencies from reactive responses to proactive, informed organizational design, fostering continuous improvement.

Operational Integration

Embed safety science principles into daily operations by equipping key roles—such as, HR, CQI, and leadership—with tools to uncover the systemic challenges within their workflows. This further ensures frontline perspectives are not just heard but actively shape organizational improvement efforts. By integrating these insights into existing systems, we move beyond a transformative vision to sustained, meaningful culture change.

System Alignment

Create a unified, system-wide commitment to culture change. Through tailored Institutes, Orientations and other activities, we ensure the entire system including executives, management, frontline staff as well as system partners, and stakeholders all develop a shared understanding of safety science principles. This alignment builds consistency in practice and vision, strengthening a cohesive and sustainable shift toward a safety culture.

The Collaborative Safety Difference

Learn how Collaborative Safety changed agencies in your industry and fill out the form to get started improving your organization.

  • “Collaborative Safety’s training got at the core issues we face every day in our work. How we can actually support workers doing difficult work and get to a better outcome for us and those we serve. It feels like the right thing to do to think and operate this way.”


    -Program Director, Minnesota Disability Services Division

  • “I think this will impact frontline workers and how supported they feel. It will help them feel more confident to make informed decisions and follow through with what they feel is in the best interest of their clients.”


    -Manager, Utah Division of Children and Family Services

  • “I like that the process is non-judgmental and allows for learning from the experiences to better serve clients and develop new or changed policies if needed.”


    -Adult Protective Services, Kentucky Department for Community Based Services

  • “With more awareness on the topic, we can start to model behavior, set new standards, and have further conversations to ultimately improve internal business but also this will show through our work with the public and those we serve!”


    -Supervisor, Minnesota Department of Health

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  • “I am new to Child and Families Services Division; however, I worked previously as a law enforcement officer for about 10 years. I definitely understand that culture which is one of blame and offering the sacrificial lamb to slaughter. This model is fantastic to create a culture of openness and transparency (not transparency for the sake of just being transparent for the public) that fosters growth, improvement, and positive change.”


    -Child Protection Supervisor, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services

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  • “The leadership is particularly excited about the work the department is doing with Collaborative Safety to encourage a transition toward a culture of accountability rather than blame. By shifting the mindset, the department can participate in deeper discussions of underlying, systemic issues to make the workplace better.”


    -Montana Department of Corrections, Quarterly Update

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