Child Safety Framework

Responding to Present Danger vs. Responding to Imminent Danger

1. Present danger threats are controlled by immediate protective actions

2. Impending danger threats are controlled by safety plans:

Impending danger threats are identified through a comprehensive safety assessment

Safety plans are developed with families and other child safety supports

Present danger is immediate, significant and clearly observable

severe harm or threat of severe harm occurring in the present requiring immediate protective response.

Definition:

Controlling Present Danger with Protective Actions

Immediate, short-term and sufficient to protect a child while the comprehensive safety assessment is completed.

The parents or caregivers are not relied upon to ensure that the protective action is effective.

Includes the participation of others committed to the safety of the child.



Those responsible for protective actions are reliable, committed, available, trustworthy, allied to the child’s safety and implementation of the plan

Describable, provides clarity on how protective actions will work

Includes timeframes and logistics, who will do what and when

Not voluntary

Martinez Case Scenario

Answer and Identify the following:1. Present danger threats2. Necessary protective actions3. Next steps

Present Danger Practice

Child Safety Framework

Children in Licensed and Unlicensed Care

When children are determined to be unsafe in licensed or unlicensed care, children are removed.

Safety Plan Analysis1. There is a parent/caregiver or adult

in the home.

2. The home is calm enough to allow safety providers to function in the home.

3. The adults in the home agree to cooperate with and allow an in-home plan.

4. Sufficient, appropriate, reliable resources are available and willing to provide safety services (or activities) and tasks.

Operation of Safety Threats

Understanding how safety threats operate in an individual family requires consideration of:

The degree of protection necessary to keep thechild safe.

The resources available and accessible to the family.

How much effort is necessary to develop and implement a sufficient plan immediately.

Degree of Protection:

How much protection is needed for each child?

What is the parent’s awareness and acknowledgement of threats?

What do they think their child needs in order to be safe?


Resources available/accessible to family:Who can help?

Relatives, kin, friends, fictive kinEducators, medical providersService providers

What are they willing to do?What is their relationship to the family?What resources are easily available and accessible?


Effort needed to develop immediate and sufficient plan:

Plans should only control and manage identified threatsPlans do not attempt to evaluate or treat parentsPlans should match the duration, frequency, and severity of identified threats


Determining Suitability/ Reliability of Safety Plan Participants

Participants in the plan must be able to provide a greater level of protection for the children than the parent.

Participants in plans are allied with the child and will take action to protect the child and notify the department if threats are present.

Social workers will:

Interview all potential safety plan participants

Conduct background checks (FamLink and criminal history) on all potential safety plan participants

What is a Safety Plan?

A Safety Plan is:

A written agreement establishing how safety threats will be immediately managed and controlled.

Implemented and active as long as threats to child safety exist and parental protective capacities are insufficient to protect and keep a child safe.

A Safety Plan contains:

Detailed safety activities and tasks provided by suitable and reliable participants, including the social worker.

Resources immediately accessible and available.

Does not include parental promises.


Used for children in-home or out-of-home

References all children in a family

Clarifies role of parents

Clarifies protective role of others

Addresses all threats identified in the safety assessment


Developing a Safety Plan Sufficient to Manage and Control Threats

A safety plan is sufficient to control threats or substitute for diminished protective capacities when it:

Is a well thought-out approach

Contains the most suitable people

Takes the necessary actions, frequently enough

An Out-of-Home Safety Plan

Controls and manages the identified safety threats

Describes how the child will be safe during any contact with the parent:

Supervised, unsupervised visits, by whom? Where?Transportation, by whom?Services that include contact between parent and child

Describes how the child will be safe in placementVisits with social workerHealth screens, school, etc.

Establishing Conditions for Return Home

Use the Safety Plan Analysis to discuss with parents why the out-of-home plan was developed. Any of the four questions that were answered “no” determined the out-of-home plan. All four questions must be answered “yes” in order for anin-home plan to be developed.

Parents should understand:

The specific reasons why their children were removed.

How the out-of-home safety plan will keep theirchildren safe.

Conditions for Return Home

1. Threats no longer exist and child is safe or existing threats can be controlled and managed with an in-home safety plan.

What must occur for the control and management of the threats?All answers on the Safety Plan Analysis must be “yes.”

2. Parents recognize, acknowledge, and understandthe threats:

Acknowledgment that safety threats existed and that children were unsafe in the home.Progress has been made on understanding the identified safety threats and toward strengthening protective capacities.Parents may be able to articulate how the threats endangered their children.


3. An in-home safety plan can be sustained: Components and detail of an in-home planare reliable.Family home has gained stability and predictability.Natural and other supports are accepted by parents and the resources available are also acceptable.Safety and protection of children will not be disrupted as children transition from an out-of-home to anin-home plan.


Reunification

Children are reunified when an in-home safety plan can keep the child safe. Safety planning at reunification must include consideration of the impact of transition on safety, stability, and sustainability.

Differences in Safety Plans and Case Plans

SAFETY PLANS CASE PLANS

Focus on threats that are identified in the safety assessment

Focus on behavioral changes to reduce safety threats and increase protective capacities

Remain in place until threats are no longer present

Provide the individual and family objectives that address the safety threats and are the basis for ongoing CA involvement

Managing and Monitoring Child Safety throughout the Life of a Case

CA staff in every program - CPS, FVS, CFWS, FRS - actively manage and monitor safety plans.

“Actively” means that the social worker is diligent, seeks information, responds promptly to concerns, and follows up on activities and tasks ina timely manner.

Safety management means that CA is responsible for child safety until the parents can assume that role or another permanency option is implemented.

Safety is the primary reason for intervention throughout the life of the case.


Placement:Whenever possible discuss safety with childrenprior to placement Health and safety visitsEstablish safety expectations with placement providers, service providers, child welfare partners

Visitation: Supervised or unsupervised, where should visits take place? Who should supervise? Expectations for safety during visits?


Child Safety Framework

Documents

Transcript of Child Safety Framework