New Nonprofit Center for the Helping Professions Aims to Transform Safety Science in Service Sectors

Launch of the Center for the Helping Professions

On March 6, 2025, a pivotal new nonprofit initiative, the Center for the Helping Professions (CHP), was officially launched in Nashville, Tennessee. This organization is dedicated to enhancing safety science and improving systems across various sectors by employing evidence-based methodologies. For its founding team, the CHP is led by President and CEO Dr. Michael Cull, COO Dr. Tiffany Lindsey, LPC-MHSP, and Chief Analytics Officer Dr. Elizabeth Riley, all of whom previously played integral roles at the Center for Innovation in Population Health at the University of Kentucky.

The central mission of CHP centers around fostering collaboration across multiple sectors to redefine and improve safety practices, particularly in highly sensitive areas like child welfare and healthcare. Dr. Cull emphasized the necessity for an integrated approach, stating, "Ensuring the well-being of children, families, and communities requires coordinated efforts across the helping professions." He noted that safety science is not merely a theoretical construct but a practical framework that provides innovative paths to assess and enhance system efficiency and safety.

Safety Science Applied Across Sectors

The CHP explores the integration of safety science into various traditional safety-critical systems. Their strategies involve employing methodologies like critical incident reviews, systematic data collection and analysis, as well as collaborative learning environments. By these means, CHP aims to create effective, safe, and reliable helping systems that address systemic issues from numerous angles.

The organization will work closely with essential partners, including the National Partnership for Child Safety, which collaborates with nearly 40 county, state, and tribal child welfare agencies. This partnership embodies a peer community model focused on employing safety science techniques. From critical incident reviews to organizational assessments, CHP intends to support these agencies in achieving enhanced child safety outcomes.

Another significant collaboration sees the CHP partnering with the National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention. The aim is to refine communication techniques and optimize cooperation within Child Death Review Teams (CDRT), which perform mandatory reviews of child fatalities for various child welfare agencies. This partnership emphasizes the commitment to improving response practices and learning from past tragedies to prevent future occurrences.

Comprehensive Safety Efforts

Beyond child welfare, CHP extends its reach to various sectors that are deemed safety-critical, including community mental health, disability services, law enforcement, and public safety organizations. The urgent need for such cross-industry collaborations underscores the variability of challenges facing different sectors when it comes to safety and effectiveness.

In addition to its commitment to direct partnerships, CHP has developed a suite of open-access tools designed to disperse knowledge about safety science beyond partner organizations. This includes the Safe Systems Improvement Tool for analyzing critical incident data and the TeamFirst Assessment of Safety Culture (TASC) survey that evaluates the infusion of safety culture within organizations. Tools were developed in collaboration with notable institutions such as Vanderbilt University and Northwestern University.

Commitment to Creating Safe Environments

Dr. Lindsey articulated the potential impact of collaborative efforts, emphasizing that "creating safe practices that activate learning and teamwork" can significantly transform the landscape of the helping professions. By working together, agencies can share data, consolidate learning, and foster an innovative spirit—ultimately leading to improved outcomes for professionals and the communities they serve.

The launch of the Center for the Helping Professions marks an optimistic turn toward a future where safety science shapes the structures and approaches of helping systems, allowing for comprehensive and systematic improvements grounded in empirical methods. Their dedication to creating a framework whereby safety measures are active, learned, and shared promises to yield substantial progress within significant sectors.

As CHP opens its doors, they are positioned not just to address current systemic failings but to innovate continuously in the quest for improved safety and well-being across communities.