9.2 Assessment of Safety
The purpose of the safety assessment is to: 1) help assess whether any children are currently in immediate danger of serious physical harm which may require a protecting intervention; and 2) to determine what interventions should be maintained or initiated to provide appropriate protection.
Which Cases - All Investigation/Family Assessments and FCS or FCOOHC openings (where a child remains in the home) and an initial safety assessment was not completed during a CA/N report. If there has been a prior safety assessment that required a safety plan, a safety reassessment should be completed instead and attached to the CD-14A.
Who - The assigned case worker.
Decision -The safety assessment is used to guide decisions about the removal of a child(ren) from his/her parent/caretaker. It also guides decisions on whether or not the child(ren) may remain in the home, the need for interventions to eliminate the threat of immediate harm, or if the child(ren) must be protectively placed.
A safety plan is required for all children when any safety factor has been identified.
Time Frames - The safety assessment is completed at the time of a FCS or FCOOHC case opening unless one was completed recently that required a safety plan, in which case a Safety Reassessment should be completed;
Appropriate Completion - The safety factors should be reviewed/referenced during the safety assessment process and the tool should be completed immediately. The safety assessment is made up of three sections, parts of which are found in the CPS-1 and the CPS-1A:
- Section 1:Safety Factor Identification
- Section 2: Safety Response & Interventions
- Section 3: Safety Decision
The vulnerability of each child is considered throughout the investigation/assessment. Young children cannot protect themselves. For older children, an inability to protect themselves could result from diminished mental or physical capacity or repeated victimization.
Section 1 has two parts:
Part A, (found in the CPS-1), requires that the worker consider each of the 12 behaviors and/or conditions listed and identify the presence or absence of each factor by circling either “yes” or "no.” Answer each item as it relates to the most vulnerable child.
(See CPS-1A instructions for Section 1 Part B, Section 2 and Section 3)
Safety Reassessment to be Completed By: The supervisor will fill in the worker’s name, who will be filling out the safety reassessment (CS-16D). The supervisor will also check the due date which represents boththe date the safety plan expires and the date in which the reassessment is due to occur.