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SoSAFE! User Training Program Integrity

Agreement and License to use SoSAFE! Framework

SoSAFE!TM is a registered trademark of Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT Incorporated (ABN 89 389 381 869, a non-profit, non-government charity based in Canberra, Australia). The SoSAFE! Framework, its tools, concepts, pictographs, training and promotional materials, and all other associated intellectual property, are owned by Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT (SHFPACT). All intellectual property rights reserved.

About the SoSAFE! Framework

SoSAFE! is a framework of concepts, tools and visual support materials to promote social skills and social safety, designed for the learning, communication and cognitive needs of people with moderate to severe intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. As a result of its design, the SoSAFE! Framework is developmentally-appropriate for a range of other needs. Please refer to the Definitions of key terms (underlined) that are used in this Integrity and Licensing Agreement, and other information about the SoSAFE! Framework, which can be found in a table at the end of this document.

1. Permission to Use SoSAFE! Framework concepts, tools, and materials

Purchase of the SoSAFE! Framework and completion of the accompanying introductory training (‘SoSAFE! User Training’) grants permission and authorisation to the person who has completed the training and registered their details (the ‘SoSAFE! User’) to use the concepts, tools, and materials provided in the resource pack, and other SoSAFE! resources subsequently purchased.

Once you have purchased the SoSAFE! Framework, completed SoSAFE! User Training (including registration as a SoSAFE! User), you are permitted to: 

1.1. Use the SoSAFE! Framework and implement SoSAFE! Programs with your clients, students or child/ren in the manner specified in SoSAFE! User Training, the SoSAFE! Framework Manual, and other implementation guidance materials; 

1.2. Print and/or create electronic versions of SoSAFE! Framework tools, pictographs and other materials as required to support implementation with your clients, students or child/ren;

1.3. Purchase or access additional SoSAFE! resources and materials to support your use and implementation of the SoSAFE! Framework that are restricted to trained and registered SoSAFE! Users. Purchasers will need to provide their SoSAFE! User/Manual

1.4. Provide information to parents, carers, professionals and other community workers in the life of your clients, students or child/ren that enables them to understand and support implementation of SoSAFE!; 

2. Restrictions on use of SoSAFE! Framework and materials 

2.1. SoSAFE! Users are not permitted to:

  1. Train, or represent that they are able to train, other people to be SoSAFE! Users. 
    Please note: A SoSAFE! User Training course is a not a Key Worker or Train-the-Trainer program, it is an introductory course to assist Users to understand the implement the SoSAFE! Framework with fidelity.

  2. Distribute and provide electronic access to SoSAFE! Framework concepts, tools and materials to other people who are not directly involved with implementing and supporting the use of the SoSAFE! Framework with the client, student or child/ren of the registered SoSAFE! User.

2.2. SoSAFE! Users ARE encouraged to find creative and innovative ways to implement the SoSAFE! Framework in the best interests and for the benefit of their clients, students and/or children. SHFPACT welcomes sharing within the SoSAFE! User community of good practice implementation of the SoSAFE! Framework. 

2.3. The use of SoSAFE! concepts, tools and materials for non-commercial purposes in other publications, programs or resources is not permitted without written permission from SHFPACT. 

2.4. SoSAFE! Users are NOT permitted to use, copy, distribute, reproduce electronically, or on-sell SoSAFE! tools, materials or resources commercially or for profit. SHFPACT’s copyright and intellectual property rights in SoSAFE! will be actively protected.

2.5. It is acceptable for SoSAFE! Users who provide services on a fee-for-service basis to recover costs associated with supplying SoSAFE! tools and resources to their clients. 

3. SoSAFE! Framework Integrity

3.5. The SoSAFE! Framework is an integrated toolkit of concepts, tools, and materials that are designed and intended to be implemented proactively in its entirely in accordance with the Program stages and steps set out in the SoSAFE! Manual (and other implementation guidance). Consistency of instruction and use of concepts, simplification of a complex social world, and extensive use of visual teaching tools and symbols, use of augmentative and alternative technology and other forms of ‘thought-support’, are all central to successful implementation of the SoSAFE! Framework.

3.6. Necessarily, the particular implementation and use of the SoSAFE! Framework must reflect individual needs and the context of implementation. The purpose of completing SoSAFE! User Training is to ensure that SoSAFE! Users understand where variation is permissible and where consistency is critical to achieving the intended social skills development and social safety outcomes.

3.7. Use of individual concepts, tools and materials isolated from the rest of the SoSAFE! Framework is not recommended or authorised. SoSAFE! Users agree to not distribute or otherwise make available concepts, tools and materials from the SoSAFE! Framework in a manner that implies or suggests to others that they can be successfully used in isolation from the overall program design and recommended implementation approach.

4. Safeguarding and Protective Environments

4.8. It is well established in published literature that the target audiences for the SoSAFE! Framework have increased vulnerability to sexual and other forms of exploitation and abuse, and the target audiences have an increased reliance and dependency on parents/carers and others that forms part of this increased vulnerability.

4.9. The use of the SoSAFE! Framework, its tools and associated programs will not ensure that this vulnerability and risk of abuse and exploitation is eliminated or entirely mitigated for each person in their individual circumstances, but used and applied as designed and intended, may contribute to this outcome.

4.10. It is the responsibility of SoSAFE! Users, including parents and carers, health, education, community services, and other human service providers to ensure their own safeguarding practices, policies and procedures are established for the prevention, detection, reduction, and response to potential and actual abuse, exploitation and vulnerability in the lives of their clients, students, or child/ren.

Breach

The purpose of this Integrity Agreement and License to use SoSAFE! Framework tools and materials is to ensure:

  1. Appropriate understanding of the needs and responsibility for safeguarding of clients, students and children when implementing the SoSAFE! Framework and SoSAFE! Programs;
  2. The appropriate and consistent use of SoSAFE! concepts and tools, and the avoidance of misuse by people who are not trained and registered SoSAFE! Users;
  3. Protection of SHFPACT’s intellectual property rights.

SHFPACT reserves the right to cancel or limit, at its discretion, the registration and associated authorisations of SoSAFE! Users who are found to grossly and recklessly breach this Integrity and Licensing Agreement.

 SoSAFE! User Training Program Integrity Downloads