ATA Consultancy’s Approach to Change Management in Child Welfare: Integrating Prosci, the Swiss Cheese Model, William Bridges’ Transition Model, and the Burke-Litwin Model

Introduction

The complex and high-stakes nature of child welfare environments, along with systemic barriers, workforce pressures, and strict legal mandates, creates major challenges for organizations to implement lasting change. True reform requires an all-inclusive approach that ensures adherence to standards and professional support because this will bring about beneficial outcomes for families and children. ATA Consultancy understands that no universal change model fits every organizational situation. We possess expertise in several recognized change management frameworks that we customize according to the unique requirements of each organization. The main change management tools we use are Prosci’s ADKAR Model (Prosci Inc., 2021), the Swiss Cheese Model (Reason, 1990), William Bridges’ Transition Model (Bridges, 1991), and the Burke-Litwin Model (Burke & Litwin, 1992). We deploy established models such as Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model (Kotter, 1996), Lewin’s Change Management Model (Lewin, 1947), McKinsey’s 7S Framework (McKinsey & Company, 1982), and the Satir Change Model (Satir, 1991) based on each situation's suitability.

Our approach combines various perspectives to handle technological and human transformation factors instead of promoting a single method. Our efforts focus on enabling and enhancing child welfare organizations’ capacities to manage complex situations while fostering staff engagement and creating lasting improvements that better protect children and families. Understanding that staff training alone does not create organizational change is vital. Training is foundational to capacity building but cannot independently create lasting change. Training staff with new knowledge and skills does not ensure long-term practice changes without a structured change management process. Organizations need comprehensive planning and leadership unity alongside stakeholder participation and consistent reinforcement efforts to implement new methods throughout systems for comprehensive, holistic, lasting transformation.

Understanding Change in Child Welfare Organizations

Child welfare agencies face significant challenges from high staff turnover rates and emotionally demanding work while managing regulatory constraints. Traditional bureaucratic structures focus on compliance rather than service user effectiveness, resulting in policy intentions failing to match the experiences of those on the front lines (Glisson & Green, 2011). ATA Consultancy’s methodology connects bureaucratic systems with frontline needs through strategic and cultural change management principles that improve risk assessment, organizational safeguarding, and effectiveness. ATA achieves lasting system improvements through structured models and adaptive methods focusing on practitioner needs.

The Prosci Approach: Structuring Organizational Change

The Prosci method offers a structured organizational transformation framework grounded in research, which tackles both technical and human aspects of change (Prosci Inc., 2021). Project management implementation planning and structural adjustments represent technical aspects, while staff transition support embodies the human dimension of change management. Prosci’s approach includes the ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement) model that structures individual change to support organizational success.

• All stakeholders must understand why change is essential to decrease bureaucratic rigidity while improving safeguarding measures.

• Leadership teams, frontline employees, and external partners must collaborate to build collective commitment that drives change momentum.

• The knowledge element includes delivering professional development opportunities, trauma-informed supervision, and evidence-based practice models to improve staff competencies.

• Organizations can integrate new practices into standard operating procedures by establishing structured support systems alongside coaching and ongoing mentorship.

• Using longitudinal feedback systems helps maintain long-term changes and prevents case drift.

The Swiss Cheese Model: Addressing Systemic Vulnerabilities

Developed initially as a risk management tool in aviation and healthcare, the Swiss Cheese Model provides a framework for understanding systemic failures (Reason, 1990). This model posits that failures occur when multiple layers of defence (policies, procedures, supervision) align with gaps, allowing risks to materialize.

ATA Consultancy applies this model to identify weaknesses in safeguarding systems and build robust organizational defences:

• Policy Layer – Reviewing policies to ensure they prioritize child safety and workforce well-being over administrative compliance.

• Training Layer – Equipping staff with decision-making tools that enhance accountability and minimize uncertainty.

• Supervision Layer – Strengthening reflective supervision to reduce burnout and support adaptive learning (Knight, 2013).

• Workforce Support Layer – Implementing peer support networks and trauma-informed leadership to address secondary traumatic stress (Sprang, Craig, & Clark, 2011).

• Leadership Layer – Embedding distributed leadership that empowers frontline professionals and ensures decision-making aligns with safeguarding priorities.

William Bridges’ Transition Model: Humanizing Change in Child Welfare

Change efforts frequently fail due to neglecting the human experience of transition (Bridges, 1991). Bridges’ Transition Model highlights three psychological phases of change:

1. Ending, Losing, Letting Go: This means acknowledging that individuals must detach from old practices before fully engaging in change.

2. The Neutral Zone – A period of uncertainty where professionals may experience doubt, confusion, and resistance.

3. New Beginnings – The stage where individuals embrace new methods and systems.

By aligning organizational changes with the psychological realities of transition, ATA Consultancy reduces resistance, fosters resilience, and ensures staff are actively engaged in transformation efforts.

Conclusion

To navigate change effectively, child welfare organizations need complex evidence-based strategies. ATA Consultancy combines Prosci with the Swiss Cheese Model, William Bridges’ Transition Model, and the Burke-Litwin Model to create a layered approach that tackles technical and human elements during organizational transformation. ATA Consultancy develops change initiatives using ADKAR, risk mitigation layers, and psychological transition support, which, together with organizational performance insights, lead to meaningful and sustainable improvements for child welfare professionals, leaders, and families in safeguarding practices and organizational culture. ATA Consultancy transforms organizations by providing essential tools and leadership strategies to establish sustainable and effective child welfare systems.

References

Bridges, W. (1991). Managing transitions: Making the most of change. Perseus Publishing.

Burke, W. W., & Litwin, G. H. (1992). A causal model of organizational performance and change. Journal of Management, 18(3), 523–545. 

Glisson, C., & Green, P. (2011). Organizational climate, services, and outcomes in child welfare systems. Child Abuse & Neglect, 35(8), 582–591. 

Knight, C. (2013). Indirect trauma and child welfare workers: An exploratory study of the impact of providing services to sexually abused children. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 22(2), 225–244. 

Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press.

Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics: Concept, method and reality in social science; social equilibria and social change. Human Relations, 1(5), 5–41. 

McKinsey & Company. (1982). The 7-S framework. McKinsey Quarterly.

Prosci Inc. (2021). The ADKAR model: A model for individual change management. Prosci.

Reason, J. (1990). Human error. Cambridge University Press.

Satir, V. (1991). The Satir model: Family therapy and beyond. Science and Behavior Books.

Sprang, G., Craig, C., & Clark, J. J. (2011). Secondary traumatic stress and burnout in child welfare workers: A comparative analysis of occupational distress across professional groups. Child Welfare, 90(6), 149–168.