Tracey Hill B.A., Honours. (Contact person for Europe).

U.K

 

I hold a BA Hons in Social Work and have over twenty years of experience working in Children’s Social Care, from frontline to Assistant Director level. In 2011, I established Tracey Hill Training & Consultancy Ltd, and in 2012, I became one of the first Licensed Signs of Safety Trainers and Consultants in the UK. This opportunity led me to collaborate with my Canadian colleague, Avi Versanov. Since then, I have successfully guided over 15 Local Authorities across the UK and Ireland through the complexities of whole-system change. Every project I undertake is a learning journey, allowing me to continuously apply my extensive experience and expertise to deliver more substantial outcomes with each new endeavour. I had the privilege of collaborating with Professor Eileen Munro on the England Innovation Projects (EIP) from 2014 to 2019, contributing to the influential research "You Can’t Grow Roses in Concrete" (Parts 1 and 2). This experience reinforced my firm belief that sustainable change extends beyond implementing a practice model—it demands long-term cultural transformation across an organization. Avi and I recognized that fostering an environment that nurtures growth and encourages positive shifts is essential to driving lasting improvements within social work systems. From 2019 to 2022, I served as the UK and Ireland Regional Director for Elia, the home of Signs of Safety. In this role, I oversaw all regional implementations, ensured the quality of licensed Trainers and Consultants, and represented Signs of Safety at key conferences in the UK and internationally. In 2022, I shifted my focus to new ventures. I co-founded Signs of Healing, integrating a trauma-informed approach based on the belief that safety is temporary without healing. I also established ATA Consultancy with Avi Versanov, where we apply a robust change management and organizational development focus, partnering with leaders to cultivate well-being and best practices across their teams.

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Avi Versanov B.A., Honours., M.S.W., M.B.A​ (Contact person for North and South America)

Canada

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With more than 11 years of experience in change, project, and strategic management, amplified by an MBA, I am deeply committed to driving positive change within the child welfare sector. My career, which spans over 20 years, built upon a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Social Work, has served as the springboard for my current role and has provided invaluable insight into my work with child welfare organizations at all levels towards building sustainable change within and across roles and departments. I hold a standing belief that all domains of work habit, be it the business for-profit, public sector, community service, industrial, health or governmental, reflect an area where practitioners and change agents are actively engaged at all levels and across all domains to transform the way organizations are built and continue to serve their respective clients. 

 

My comparative interest in the field of child welfare remains embedded within the foundation of my career to date; not only have I worked with leadership teams across key sectors towards executing significant and sustainable change over the last decade, but I have directly worked with end-users (frontline staff and stakeholders), building capacity towards driving impact and changing attitudes towards child and family needs. This practical experience has given me an excellent opportunity to understand some underlying factors hindering organizational change in the child welfare sector across several countries. With my change management background, expertise, and real-life experiences, I integrate strategic leadership and project management skills to ease the tension that end-users (service recipients) feel towards transitions and organizational changes that drive productivity and impact across all areas of the service model. I have, therefore, perfected the art of ensuring that change is not viewed as a standalone project but rather as an integrative whole system/whole person approach where all stakeholders hold each other accountable for driving and achieving change in meaningful and long-lasting ways. This has illustrated my firm decisiveness and understanding of when to push individuals toward their comfort level when leading projects during crucial transition and organizational restructuring moments.

 

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