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Safety Reference Guide

HO 17

Safety in CPS – Impending Danger Training Handouts

Agenda (HO 1)2

Learning Objectives (HO 1)3

Safety Intervention Timeline (HO 2)4

Impending Danger Threat Threshold Criteria Note Page (HO 3)5

Inglehoff-Carson Family (HO 4)7

What Crosses the Danger Threshold in the Inglehoff-Carson Family? (HO 5)10

Danger Threshold is Crossed: What are the Implications? (HO 6)11

Inglehoff-Carson Family Safety Assessment Form (HO 7)12

Safety Assessment Review (HO 8)13

Is This a Safety Response or a Treatment Service? (HO 9)14

Post Family Safety Intervention Worksheet – Safety Assessment (HO 10)15

Post Family Safety Assessment Form (HO 11)20

Post Family Safety Intervention Worksheet – Analysis Question 1 (HO 12)21

Critical Times and Circumstances – Calendar View (HO 13)23

Post Family Safety Plan Discussion (HO 14)24


Critical Time & Circumstances – Post Safety Control Response Calendar (HO 16)27


Agenda

Day One

Introduction

Impending Danger Threats

· Contrast with Present Danger Threats

· Danger Threshold

· Case Application

· Impending Danger Threat Definitions

Safety Assessment

· Three Mental Tasks of Safety Assessment

· Errors to Avoid in Safety Assessment

· Case Application

· When to Assess Impending Danger Threats

Day Two

Overview of Safety Intervention

Safety Analysis and Planning Process

· Role of Safety Intervention

· Steps in Safety Analysis and Planning

Safety Analysis

· Analysis Question One: How do Impending Danger Threats Play Out in the Family

· Case Application

· Analysis Question Two: Can the Family Control Impending Danger Threats without CPS?

· Analysis Question Three: Can an In-Home Plan Work for this Family?

· Case Application

Safety Planning

· Standards for Safety Plans

· Analysis Question Four: What would we Need to put in Place in the Home to Control Impending Danger Threats

· Safety Responses and Providers

· Qualities of Sufficient Safety Plans

· Case Application

Implementing the In-Home Safety Plan

· Provisional Safety Planning

· Plans Across the Case Process

· Managing an In-Home Safety Plan

Learning Objectives

By the end of this training, the participant will:

1. Understand the danger threshold criteria.

2. Be able to evaluate whether family conditions meet the danger threshold criteria.

3. Understand the list of impending danger threats and the conditions that are characteristic of them.

4. Be able to evaluate the list of impending danger threats to determine whether any of them apply to a family.

5. Understand what information must be gathered to assess impending danger.

6. Understand the steps of safety intervention.

7. Be able to complete a safety assessment.

8. Remember when formal safety assessments are required.

9. Understand the safety analysis questions.

10. Be able to conduct a safety analysis to determine how to best manage or control the safety threats.

11. Be aware of the eWiSACWIS requirements for documenting a safety assessment, safety analysis, and safety plan.

12. Understand the requirements and for the contents and use of safety plans.

13. Understand the criteria for a service to be a safety response.

14. Be able to evaluate whether a service is a safety response.

15. Understand the various types of safety services and how they can control for safety

16. Understand the qualification requirements for safety response providers.

17. Be able to evaluate whether safety service providers meet the qualifications for safety response providers.

18. Understand the qualities of sufficient safety plans and when sufficiency should be assessed.

19. Be able to develop and document an in-home safety plan.

20. Understand the provisional nature of safety plans and the responsibility to manage and adapt them.

21. Be aware of the contents of the Safety Intervention Standards and be able to locate information within them.

HO 1

1

HO 2

Impending Danger Threat Threshold Criteria Note Page

To be considered an Impending Danger Threat, the behavior or condition in the family must meet all of these five criteria:

1. Observable

2. Vulnerable Child

3. Out-of-Control

4. Imminent

5. Severity

Observable

Vulnerable Child

Out-of-Control

Imminent

Severity

For Whom:

HO 3

Inglehoff-Carson Family

Mother – Jill Inglehoff, 19 years old

Father – Chad Carson, 19 years old

Daughter – Hannah, 11 months old

Presenting Situation - January

A neighbor called the police in the middle of the night. Hannah had been crying for an extended period and Jill was periodically yelling at her. This was not unusual. He complained to Jill and then heard Hannah being hit. Hannah had a slap mark on her face and a large bruise and swelling on the back of her head from hitting the crib. Neurological testing at the emergency room showed no internal injury or brain damage. The physical abuse report was substantiated.

Family Information

Jill and Chad dated for several years in high school. Jill is a year ahead of Chad in school. She always got good grades, especially in math, and planned to get a degree in accounting. When she graduated, she enrolled in the local community college to stay close to Chad. They planned to leave for the state university together the following fall. That June, Jill became pregnant. In fall Jill and Chad got an apartment together and Chad stayed at his summer job in his father’s chiropractic office, deferring school due to the baby. Jill continued part time classes first semester and worked part time. Both Chad and Jill’s parents were concerned their children were throwing their futures away and strongly advocated for placing the baby for adoption. Jill’s parents were embarrassed by Jill’s pregnancy and have had little to do with her since Hannah’s birth. They did not visit her in the hospital and have never provided care for Hannah.

The baby was born prematurely in February and spent two months in Neonatal Intensive Care. She was named Hannah after Jill’s grandmother who had recently died. Jill quit her job and slept most nights in the family room at the hospital. This proximity allowed her to nurse the baby and Jill learned a lot about the care of the baby from the staff there. After Hannah came home, Jill frequently called the nursing staff with questions about Hannah’s care.

When Hannah came home, Jill got a job at Jiffy Print and Chad continued at his father’s office. They arranged their schedules to minimize child care due to concern for her and finances. Both parents found this period stressful. Their friends were all absorbed in school and their extended families disapproved and provided no monetary support, though Chad’s mother occasionally watched Hannah and frequently brought her clothes and gifts. Money was always an issue but basic needs were met. This was a very difficult adjustment. When they lived with their parents, they had large, comfortable homes and easy access to cars and money for entertainment and purchases.

Chad’s parents, concerned about his future, offered to pay for him to attend a private college about 200 miles away. Despite Jill’s obvious despair, Chad left in fall when Hannah was 7 months old. Though he said he would return weekends, those visits have been infrequent. Either Chad or his mother takes Hannah on weekends from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon.

Since Chad’s departure, Jill has had to depend more on child care for Hannah. Initially, a neighbor cared for Hannah, but Jill became concerned that there were too many children to supervise properly. She now uses Stepping Stones Daycare even though it requires two bus rides. Jill receives daycare assistance, WIC and health insurance for Hannah. She is grateful for WIC because formula is expensive and she wants Hannah to continue with it through her first year.

Jill’s main financial support has come from Chad’s family’s monthly contribution to Hannah’s care. When Jill would get their check, she would take a trip to the mall and spend most of it within the day. She bought designer clothes for herself and Hannah. This furthered the tension with Chad’s parents. Jill felt justified since Chad was buying things, had plenty of free time and his parents bought him a car. Jill saw Chad’s parents as responsible for his move. In response to Jill’s irresponsible spending, Chad’s parents reduced the checks by half in November. They refuse to provide additional money when she runs low.

Jill’s hours at Jiffy Print have been erratic because they are increasing automation. Jill’s phone was cut off and she received an eviction notice in November for nonpayment of rent. Since her checks have been reduced, she has not had food at the end of the month. Her parents bought food initially, but say they “won’t bail her out anymore”. Last month, she and Hannah went several days without food since WIC wasn’t sufficient to last the month.

Hannah is healthy, but small for her age and somewhat behind in motor and speech development. Jill understands this is to be expected given Hannah’s premature birth. She is up to date on immunizations and well baby checks. Jill receives a child development newsletter and does the activities described for a child Hannah’s developmental age. She keeps a chart of developmental milestones on the refrigerator and marks Hannah’s progress.

Since Chad left, Hannah is waking frequently during the night, crying for long periods. The landlord has warned her that other tenants are complaining and he doesn’t want to put up with it. Jill says, “I can’t take this any longer. If she keeps crying, I don’t know what I’ll do. Even when Hannah is sleeping, I lie awake worrying she’ll start in again.” She admits this wasn’t the first time she hit Hannah in the middle of the night. Jill’s lack of sleep is also causing problems at work. She has been reprimanded for being rude to co-workers and customers and has cried in frustration when she has made mistakes on orders. Once she fell asleep at lunch and missed 45 minutes of work before her supervisor found her asleep in the break room.

Jill is very lonely since Chad left. She often takes Hannah for walks at the mall hoping to find someone to talk to. None of her friends have children and they frequently party. On Saturday nights when Hannah is with Chad’s family, Jill joins them at house parties and drinks heavily. On several occasions, she has passed out. She looks forward to Saturday night all week long.

She’s hoping she’ll meet a new boyfriend, since Chad seems to have made a new life at college.

While you are interviewing Jill, Hannah crawls across the floor and climbs into her lap. Jill rubs her back and says she understands that Hannah misses Chad; she does, too. Jill states she loves Hannah and sees her as the most important thing in Jill’s life. “Hannah needs to be able to depend on me. There’s no one else to watch out for her.”

Jill cries, talking about the night she hit Hannah, “When I’m awake with her in the middle of the night, it just feels like I’m going crazy. I’m just so tired I can’t think straight.”

It is the 20th of the month and she has spent all the money from Chad’s parents. She’s only scheduled to work ten hours per week until the end of the month. There is only enough formula for a few days and she is almost out of diapers. When asked what she’ll do about this and the eviction at the end of the month, Jill just looks overwhelmed. “I don’t know. My parents and Chad’s parents have said they won’t give me any more money. They’ll hardly even talk to me on the phone anymore. My friends all have roommates and none of them have kids. They don’t want Hannah around.”

HO 4

What Crosses the Danger Threshold in the Inglehoff-Carson Family?

Consider each "observable condition" below. For each, consider whether this "observable" meets the rest of the danger threshold criteria. Justify your answer in the space provided.

Observable Condition: Jill’s sleep deprivation causes her to lash out.

Yes

Justification

Vulnerable Child

Consider all children in this family may be vulnerable

☐

Who:

Out of Control

The behavior or condition is:

· Not being controlled internally by the family AND

· The family is not independently shielding the child from the impact of the behavior or condition

☐

Imminent

Over the next few weeks, without intervention this dynamic will:

· Occur again AND

· Have an impact on the child

☐

Severity

The impact on the child in the near future could reasonably result in severe harm

☐

For whom:


If this behavior or condition meets all the Danger Threshold Criteria, which Impending Danger Threat best characterizes the dynamic in the family?

Observable Condition: Jill’s drinking to intoxication and sometimes passing out.

Yes

Justification

Vulnerable Child


☐

Who:

Out of Control




☐

Imminent


· Occur again AND


☐

Severity


☐

For whom:



Observable Condition: Jill has no money for food or rent

Yes

Justification

Vulnerable Child


☐

Who:

Out of Control




☐

Imminent


· Occur again AND


☐

Severity


☐

For whom:



Danger Threshold is Crossed: What are the Implications?

· Threats need to be controlled

If the family is not able to control the behavior or condition that is a threat to safety or its impact on the child, we need to be responsible for doing so. Our first priority with the family is controlling these threats to safety. We can’t focus on facilitating change until we do something to assure the safety of the child. Change takes time. Working toward change with families is often difficult and uncertain. We can’t take a chance on what could happen to the child while we’re working on facilitating change. We need to implement a Safety Plan that can control the impact of Impending Danger Threats on the child meantime.

· We need to act NOW

Once we have gathered sufficient information to consider Impending Danger Threats, we can complete the Safety Assessment. Through this process, we identify any Impending Danger Threats in the family. If we find they exist, we need to complete the Safety Analysis. This will guide our consideration of whether the caregivers have sufficient protective capacities to assure safety on their own. If they do not, the child is unsafe. This means we must act quickly to control these threats and provide safety for the child.

V.B. The same day a child has been judged to be unsafe (i.e. presence of impending danger and insufficient parent/caregiver protective capacities) CPS must develop and put into place a safety plan.

· We need to do whatever we can to open this case for ongoing services and provide safety

We have identified a child as unsafe and need to use all the tools at our disposal to try to intervene to assure child safety. If we can’t engage the parents or caregivers in the effort to put a Safety Plan in place, we need to consider our other legal options.

I.B. If the family is unable or unwilling to control present danger and/or impending danger threats to safety through the use of an in-home safety plan, CPS must consult with the district attorney/corporation counsel to assure that necessary services (in-home or out-of-home) are ordered by the court and implemented or take other reasonable action (e.g. Temporary Physical Custody) to immediately assure child safety.

If there are not threats to child safety, the conditions and behaviors in the family are examples of risk of maltreatment. If there is only risk of maltreatment, the decision whether to offer services to the family is guided by county policy and practice.

HO 6

Inglehoff-Carson Family Safety Assessment Form

Name – Reference Person

Case Number

Name – Assessed Family

Date of Safety Assessment and Planning

I.Safety Threats

1.

|_| Yes |_| No

No adult in the home will perform parental duties and responsibilities.

7.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents / caregivers intend(ed) to seriously hurt the child.

2.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents / caregivers are violent.

8.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents / caregivers lack parenting knowledge, skills or motivation necessary to assure the child’s basic needs are met.

3.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents’ / caregivers’ behavior is dangerously impulsive or they will not / cannot control their behavior.

9.

|_| Yes |_| No

The child has exceptional needs which the parents / caregivers cannot or will not meet.

4.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents / caregivers have extremely negative perceptions of the child.

10.

|_| Yes |_| No

Living arrangements seriously endanger the child’s physical health.

5.

|_| Yes |_| No

Family does not have or use resources necessary to assure the child’s basic needs.

11.

|_| Yes |_| No

The child is profoundly fearful of the home situation or people within the home.

6.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents / caregivers fear they will maltreat the child and / or request placement.

II.Safety Assessment and Conclusion

|_| Yes |_| No One or more factors that negatively affect safety are identified:

If the answer to the above question is “NO”, then the child(ren) is safe. Proceed only with the required documentation of contacts, interview content or observations, and supervisory approval.

If the answer to the above question is “YES”, then the child(ren) may be unsafe. Proceed with the Safety Assessment and Planning to consider the parent / caregiver protective capacities and the need to control for safety.

III.Signatures

Name – Worker

SIGNATURE – Worker

Date Signed

Name – Supervisor

SIGNATURE – Supervisor

Date Signed

HO 7

Safety Assessment Review

1. The Danger Threshold Criteria acronym is _________ ______________.

a. What does each of the letters stand for?

2. List four factors to consider when judging child vulnerability:

3. What is the timeframe for a behavior or condition to be judged to be imminent?

4. Severity in the threshold criteria is referring to the degree of harm the child sustained from the reported maltreatment.

· True

· False

5. What must you do if you have identified an impending danger threat and the family refuses to voluntarily participate with CPS?

6. Take time for a new thought! How can consistent use of the Danger Threshold Criteria contribute to the quality of your CPS work and the quality of practice in your agency?

7. Given your current job responsibilities, when will you need to assess for Impending Danger Threats?

HO 8

Is This a Safety Response or a Treatment Service?

_____ Parent aide supervising a parent feeding an infant

_____ Daycare providing stimulation and social interaction for a baby

_____Grandmother making dinner

_____Home health services providing physical therapy

_____In-home treatment team negotiating rules for “fair fighting” between the parent and teen

_____Home health monitoring the child’s blood sugar

_____AODA groups

_____Daycare to provide separation for the baby and parent

_____Parent aide teaching time outs

_____In-home treatment team checking on the level of tension in the home and supporting the parent

_____Neighbor providing after school care

HO 9

Post Family Safety Intervention Worksheet – Safety Assessment

1. Following group discussion and identification of 'Observable Conditions' - conditions, behaviors, emotions, perceptions, or situations in the Post family, that may be a threat to safety. Write them down on the worksheet.

1. As individual work, hold each up to the danger threshold criteria and justify why it meets (or doesn’t meet) the threshold criteria

1. If an “observable” meets all the criteria, find the Impending Danger Threat that best describes this dynamic in the family.

1. Submit your completed worksheets to your assigned trainer by 3:45pm Day 1 of training. You will receive an answer key for review and reflection in consideration of the work you did. Trainers will be available at the end of training and prior to Day 2 to discuss any questions you have.

Observable Condition:

Yes

Justification

Vulnerable Child


☐

Who:

Out of Control




☐

Imminent


· Occur again AND


☐

Severity


☐

For whom:




Yes

Justification

Vulnerable Child


☐

Who:

Out of Control




☐

Imminent


· Occur again AND


☐

Severity


☐

For whom:




Yes

Justification

Vulnerable Child


☐

Who:

Out of Control




☐

Imminent


· Occur again AND


☐

Severity


☐

For whom:




Yes

Justification

Vulnerable Child


☐

Who:

Out of Control




☐

Imminent


· Occur again AND


☐

Severity


☐

For whom:



Post Family Safety Assessment Form

Name – Reference Person

Case Number

Name – Assessed Family

Date of Safety Assessment and Planning

I.Safety Threats

1.

|_| Yes |_| No

No adult in the home will perform parental duties and responsibilities.

7.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents / caregivers intend(ed) to seriously hurt the child.

2.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents / caregivers are violent.

8.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents / caregivers lack parenting knowledge, skills or motivation necessary to assure the child’s basic needs are met.

3.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents’ / caregivers’ behavior is dangerously impulsive or they will not / cannot control their behavior.

9.

|_| Yes |_| No

The child has exceptional needs which the parents / caregivers cannot or will not meet.

4.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents / caregivers have extremely negative perceptions of the child.

10.

|_| Yes |_| No

Living arrangements seriously endanger the child’s physical health.

5.

|_| Yes |_| No

Family does not have or use resources necessary to assure the child’s basic needs.

11.

|_| Yes |_| No

The child is profoundly fearful of the home situation or people within the home.

6.

|_| Yes |_| No

One or both parents / caregivers fear they will maltreat the child and / or request placement.

II.Safety Assessment and Conclusion

|_| Yes |_| No One or more factors that negatively affect safety are identified:

If the answer to the above question is “NO”, then the child(ren) is safe. Proceed only with the required documentation of contacts, interview content or observations, and supervisory approval.

If the answer to the above question is “YES”, then the child(ren) may be unsafe. Proceed with the Safety Assessment and Planning to consider the parent / caregiver protective capacities and the need to control for safety.

III.Signatures

Name – Worker

SIGNATURE – Worker

Date Signed

Name – Supervisor

SIGNATURE – Supervisor

Date Signed

HO 11

Post Family Safety Intervention Worksheet – Analysis Question 1

Safety Analysis and Plan

Analysis Question 1: How do the Impending Danger Threats play out in this family?

Impending Danger Threat

Family Condition or Behavior

How long?

How frequently?

How predictable? Specific occasions?

Specific times of day or daily events?



How long?

How frequently?





How long?

How frequently?





How long?

How frequently?



HO 12

Critical Times and Circumstances – Calendar View

Mon.Tues.Wed.Thurs.Fri.Sat.Sun.

Daytime

Evening

Night

HO 13

Critical Times and Circumstances Requiring Control:

Post Family Safety Plan Discussion

Discussion of In-home Services

Danielle Post

· “I don’t know why people keep making such a fuss about Jimmy. Everyone just spoils him and then I’m left to deal with this kid who thinks he’s the center of the universe. If people are so concerned about Jimmy, why am I the only one taking care of him? It seems like once you people get involved, everything just has a life of its own. People like me just have to go along with it.”

· “People in here? That sounds like making a big deal out of nothing. . . I’m here all the time – I never go anywhere. I let you in, I guess I’d let them in, too. I just don’t see the point.”

Jared Post

· “It seems like people in here to take care of what’s going on with Danielle, Jimmy and Amanda might not be a bad idea, but you’d need to talk to Danielle. She’s in charge of things with the kids, not me. I’m not even here most of the time. It sure has been peaceful with Amanda gone, though.”

Identification of Sources of Help

When asked about people who have been helpful in the past, Danielle names the Battered Women’s Shelter and her old therapist.

People who could be helpful or have been in the past:

· Danielle’s parents live about 15 miles away. Danielle and the children lived with them after Eric was incarcerated. Her father has health issues now. He is in a wheelchair due to complications from diabetes. They would probably be willing to help, but they are getting old and don’t have a lot of energy. Neither can drive.

· Amanda has a group of friends with whom she spends a lot of time. There is a group of four who have frequent sleepovers and Amanda is sometimes gone the whole weekend. The family with whom she has been staying on the Protective Plan wants her to leave. Danielle has never met any of the parents.

· Danielle used to have friends at work but hasn’t seen them for a while. In particular, she was close to a middle aged woman, Cheryl Dunlap, who had been married to an abusive man. She is divorced and her children are raised. She visited often after Jimmy was born, but Danielle quit answering the phone and Cheryl quit leaving messages. Cheryl still works days.

· Amanda and Jason’s paternal grandparents live nearby and used to be pretty involved with the children. They have been eager to continue their relationship with their grandchildren after Eric’s incarceration. In particular, they wanted to be sure the children got “Eric’s side of the story because Danielle is no saint either.”

· Jared's sister, Patty, and her husband, Jeff, have been caring for Jimmy on the Protective Plan. Patty has cut back her work hours while they have had placement and Jimmy has been in day care half time. She cannot continue to do so. Jeff and Patty are willing to continue involvement. They were recently approved for an international adoption and don’t know when they may be able to bring their child home. When they do, they want to be able to focus on their family and will be less available.

HO 14


Safety Analysis Question 3 – Can an in-home plan work for this family?

Are the caregivers willing to accept services and cooperate with providers?

Is the home calm and consistent enough?

Can this be put in place without the results of professional evaluations?

Do caregivers reside in the home?

HO 15

Developed by WCWPDS

26

Safety in CPS-Impending Danger Training (Revised: June, 2017)

Critical Times and Circumstances – Post Safety Control Response Calendar

Mon.Tues.Wed.Thurs.Fri.Sat.Sun.

Daytime

Evening

Night

Critical Times and Circumstances Requiring Control:

HO 16

Developed by WCWPDS

30

Safety in CPS-Impending Danger Training (Revised: June, 2017)


Group Name: ____________________________________ ___

Name

Email

Supervisor

Supervisor’s Email

Analysis Question 4: What would we need to put in place in the home to adequately control the Impending Danger Threats?


Safety Control Response

Safety Service/Action Type

Provider

Specifically explain how it will control threat

Schedule (frequency, time and duration)




Provider






Provider






Provider



Negotiations with family members?

Explain why this is a reasonable role.

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