3.7.1 The Call Floor Worker Begins the Assessment | 3.7.2 The Child Protection Services Worker Identifies the Safety Issues | 3.7.3 The Child Protection Services Worker Completes the CERAP and Develops a Safety Plan if | 3.7.4 The Child Protection Services Worker Identifies the Risk Issues and Assess the Underlying Conditions | 3.7.5 The Child Protection Services Worker Determines Case Disposition | 3.7.6 The Child Protection Services Worker and Permanency Worker Conduct the Handoff | 3.7.7 The Permanency Worker Conducts an Initial Assessment and Develops the Initial Service Plan | 3.7.8 The Permanency Worker Completes the Comprehensive Assessment | 3.7.9 The permanency worker ensures an ongoing, focused assessment and periodic reviews
The steps in the assessment process are:
When a report is made to SCR, the call floor worker documents identifying information, details about the incident and any CERAP safety factors provided by the reporter.
When the report is sent to the field office with jurisdiction, the child protection services worker must read the report thoroughly with attention to any safety factors noted. If at all possible, the CPSW should contact the reporter prior to seeing the child and parents. The worker needs to gather and document specific information from the reporter in reference to any possible safety and risk concerns, not only those noted on the CANTS 1. The purpose of this initial contact with the reporter is to obtain as much background information about the family and the incident as possible so that the worker will be well informed prior to meeting the family. Of paramount concern here is the identification of safety and risk factors.
The CPSW is now ready to meet and interview the child and parents. The CPSW meets with the child(ren) and parents/caretakers separately. During the interviews, the CPSW obtains specific information from each about the incident, views the child's body for any marks, bruises, broken bones or other injuries (depending on the allegation), and observes the home environment. The worker at this point needs to decide, based on his/her assessment of the safety factors, whether the child will be safe in the home, whether a safety plan needs to be developed to maintain the child in the home or whether the safety issues are serious enough that protective custody must be taken. (See Protective Custody Protocol in Chapter 4.) When a child is in danger of moderate to severe harm immediately or in the near future, that child is considered to be unsafe. If the child can be maintained in the home with a safety plan, the worker needs to develop the plan with the parents and others integral to the plan, document it on the CERAP and have it signed by the parents, worker, supervisor and others having a significant role in the safety plan. The plan must take into account all the safety factors identified and be realistic. Although it may seem like a good resolution to send the children to live with a grandmother in Michigan, it will be difficult to monitor this plan. The plan must identify who is involved, who will monitor it, how it will be monitored, timeframe for reassessment and completion. Because the worker's decisions about how to proceed will affect the family members' lives in profound ways, the accuracy and thoroughness of the assessment at this stage is critical. See Chapter 4, p. __ for more details on developing the safety plan. The CERAP must be completed within 24 hours of seeing the alleged child victim.
After first ensuring the child's safety, the CPSW assesses the risk factors that led to the report of maltreatment. Risk is the likelihood of any degree of longer-term future harm/maltreatment. It does not predict when the future harm might occur but rather the likelihood of it happening at all.
In initial and formal unfounded investigations, the CPSW will complete the CERAP and an abbreviated risk assessment. Where reports are indicated, the CPSW will complete the CERAP and conduct a risk analysis using the Risk Assessment Protocol and the Expanded Risk Factor Examples. The Risk Assessment Protocol contains a total of 36 risk factors. The first ten risk factors are considered historical and are not be included in the risk analysis. The CPSW will write a narrative on each of these factors, describing how the factor impacted or contributed to the incident of abuse. The Risk Assessment Protocol will take the worker through the risk analysis with the remaining factors.
The worker must answer the following questions with regard to risk factors #11-36 listed in the Risk Assessment Protocol:
Chart 3 Risk Analysis Chart
The first question to be answered is whether the risk factor is present in this case. If the factor is not present, the analysis does not need to be done on that factor. If it is present, the worker must determine whether the factor impacted or contributed to the incident of maltreatment. The answer to this question leads the worker into one of two paths: (1) a determination that Department intervention is needed and a case should be opened or that protective custody should be taken; or (2) a determination that a service response is needed (which may or may not involve opening and servicing a case, depending on case circumstances) or no response with regard to the particular factor is needed. The first path is present focused and drives immediate service provision. The second path is future focused and provides direction on whether services should be provided to prevent a future harm. It must be noted that a risk factor could travel both these paths. For example, a parent's mental illness may have contributed to this incident of maltreatment and may present a significant risk to the child in the future. In these situations, the worker must first focus on safety and do what is necessary to keep the child safe. If and when the child is safe, the worker can determine the level of intervention needed.
The case opening/protective custody path: If the worker determines that the risk factor did impact or lead to the maltreatment incident, he/she must determine whether the factor is amenable to treatment or is manageable. Some risk factors are not manageable or amenable to treatment. For example, a parent may have a developmental disability that treatment would not impact, or the parent may be unwilling to manage a mental illness through medication and therapy. If this is the case, protective action in the form of protective custody may be needed. However, if the worker assesses that the identified risk factor is manageable or amenable to treatment, the type and frequency of intervention must be determined. If, for example, the parent has a drinking problem and is willing to engage in treatment, substance abuse treatment would be indicated. The service must address the underlying condition that led to DCFS involvement and must be included in the service plan.
The service response/no response path: If the worker determines that the risk factor did not impact or contribute to the incident, the worker must then ask whether the risk factor may become significant to the ongoing safety and/or risk of the child depending on the frequency of the risky behavior. In other words, a parent's drinking to excess may not have contributed to this maltreatment incident, but may place the child's safety in jeopardy in the near future depending on the frequency of the excessive drinking and how it impacts the child. A worker needs to be aware that any of the risk factors, while not directly contributing to the incident that led to Department involvement, may impact the child's safety in times of crisis or extreme stress. Therefore, those factors need to be examined for the potential impact they may have on safety in the near future. A service response (open and service case, referral to community providers, etc.) must be determined.
If the risk factor is not considered to be significant to the child's safety and/or risk in the near future, then the factor does not need to be addressed in a service plan (no response is needed). However, the worker will describe any family strengths that relate to the factor.
Based on the safety and risk assessments, two integral decisions need to be made. The first decision concerns the level of intervention needed. The CPSW must decide whether the safety and risk issues will be resolved by (1) making a referral to community services without compromising safety; (2) open a service case with no legal involvement; (3) open a service case with legal involvement; (4) take protective custody of the child and open a service case. The CPSW must identify whether the case meets the criteria for expedited termination. If indicated, a referral might be made to the State's Attorney for filing of criminal charges against the perpetrator. For guidelines on case disposition at this juncture in the assessment, the case opening criteria, the six Decision Trees, the Neglect Protocol, Physical Abuse Protocol and Sex Abuse Protocol detailed in Chapter 4, Intake and Investigation, will be used.
The second decision, which will be discussed in Section 3.6.8, concerns what factors the permanency worker will consider in formulating the intervention strategy.
When the decision has been made by the child protection supervisor that a case should be opened and referred for follow-up services, the CPSW (and supervisor, if possible) meet(s) with the follow-up (permanency) supervisor to staff the case. The permanency supervisor will then assign the case to a permanency worker. The child protection services worker must turn over to the permanency supervisor and worker the CERAP, the risk assessment and any other documentation that he/she has thus far. The permanency worker will read this material prior to meeting the family. The completed investigation will be turned over as soon as possible and must be read by the permanency worker. The CPSW and permanency worker must do a face-to-face handoff within 48 hours of the decision to open the case. (Refer to Chapter 4, pp. ____ and Chapter 5, pp. ____ for more information on the handoff.) At this meeting, the CERAP, risk assessment, any underlying conditions and the workers' recommendations are reviewed with the parents. The workers must help the family understand the safety concerns, the need for change in order to ensure the child's safety and well-being, and the need for casework services in order to make this change. It will be important to secure the parents' cooperation to assist the worker to assess the family's needs and engage in services that will bring about changed behavior. Both workers will document the initial meeting with the family. At the handoff, both workers assess the family's ability and willingness to engage in services and make the required changes necessary to maintain the safety of the child. The permanency worker will make further appointments with the family in order to continue the engagement and assessment process. In addition, the permanency worker will complete the CERAP if the meeting is held in the family's home. If not, the worker must arrange to meet with the family in the home environment within five days of case assignment in order to complete the CERAP.
When protective custody is taken, the child protection supervisor and CPSW need to discuss whether the case meets the criteria for expedited termination when they staff the case with the permanency supervisor (and worker, if assigned). If so, the CPSW and permanency worker must follow the instructions for expedited termination (i.e., permanency worker to prepare the case for a permanency staffing; CPSW to request that the State's Attorney file a petition for termination of parental rights along with the abuse/neglect petition).
In placement cases, the handoff takes place at the shelter care (temporary custody) hearing. At that time, the child protection services worker introduces the permanency worker to the family and together with the family they discuss the CERAP, risk assessment, any specialty indicators and recommendations for services. A visitation plan is developed with the family. Further appointments are made with the parents, child and caregiver in order to continue the engagement and assessment process. The permanency worker must arrange to meet with the parents in their home environment within five days of case assignment in order to complete the CERAP.
3.7.7 The Permanency Worker Identifies the Continued Presence of Safety Issues and Compliance with the Safety Plan
After the handoff and within five days of case assignment, the permanency worker completes the CERAP in order to identify the continued presence of safety issues and compliance with the safety plan. The safety plan should be examined to determine whether it still meets the child's need for safety. Revisions should be made if necessary.
After completing the CERAP, the permanency worker conducts another Risk Assessment Protocol and completes the Social History within 30 days. In addition, the permanency worker needs to conduct an initial assessment in order to make the second decision discussed in Section 3.6.5: What are the factors that must be considered in formulating the intervention strategy (i.e., service plan)? An initial assessment is focused information-gathering driven by the risk and safety issues as a result of the maltreatment incident within this particular family. The permanency worker meets with the family as often as necessary (but no less than weekly) within the first thirty days to complete the initial assessment. The initial assessment involves examining and analyzing the following issues:
Supervisors must ensure that the following questions are addressed in the initial assessment. (Note that these questions are germane throughout the life of the case.)
For children for whom the Department has legal responsibility, the permanency worker's activities during the first 30 days of case opening will also include:
The information gathered in the initial assessment forms the basis for the initial service plan, which is developed with the family at the first family meeting. There is a direct connection between assessment and service planning. The assessment identifies the behaviors and conditions that jeopardize child safety and recommends services that promote healthy change so that the permanency goal can be achieved. The service plan is the blueprint that the family and worker develop in order to effect the needed changes. Part II of this Chapter details the process of service planning.
As stated above, the initial assessment is focused information-gathering driven by the risk and safety issues as a result of the maltreatment incident within this particular family. The comprehensive assessment, to be completed by 45 days of case opening, continues to explore the safety and risk factors identified in the initial assessment, continues to examine the family's needs and strengths and allows the worker to develop a more complete picture of family functioning. The comprehensive assessment consists of the following:
It is important to keep in mind that the assessment is a focused process: the identification and resolution of safety and risk factors are the primary purposes of the assessment. Therefore information gathered in the assessment must be related to the safety and risk factors that were identified by the investigation as well as the permanency worker's initial (initial) assessment. The "shotgun" approach to assessment-gathering as much information as possible regardless of its relevancy to safety and risk-is not useful. Similarly, the "bureaucratic" approach to assessment-getting answers to questions in order to fill out a form-is sloppy practice. The key words in assessment are focus, relevancy and engagement.
The safety assessment is updated every 6 months by completing the CERAP. If new safety issues become apparent, appropriate action (such as development of a safety plan) must be taken. The risk assessment is updated at least every six months using the Risk Assessment Protocol with particular emphasis on (1) the underlying issues of substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence, history of sex abuse and development disabilities; and (2) the child's well-being. Risk factors are rated as they apply to the family's present situation. The social history is updated every 6 months by using the Social History format. The assessment and service plan must be reviewed at each monthly supervisory conference. Safety, risk, reasonable efforts, reasonable progress and the child's well-being should be topics of discussion at each supervisory conference. At these conferences, the worker and supervisor ensure that appropriate objectives and tasks are established in the service plan and are related to safety and risk issues present in the family. New information about family needs or functioning is discussed. Reviews of the assessment and service plan are conducted on a regular basis as follows:
The quarterly review, conducted with the Child and Family Team at a family meeting, documents that objectives and tasks on the service plan continue to be appropriate and address the current risk and safety issues, and ensures that the child's well-being needs are being met. In addition, reasonable efforts and reasonable progress are assessed and documented. See Chapter 5, Intact Families, p. ___ and Chapter 6, Part II, Reunification, p. ___ for more detailed discussions on periodic reviews of the assessment and service plan.
When children are in substitute care, the assessment is reviewed formally at 90 days after case opening, 90 days later and every six months thereafter at the Administrative Case Review (ACR). The updated assessment is presented at the ACR with the service plan. In all cases, the new service plan is based on the updated assessment. As the service plan is evaluated and a new one developed with the family at a family meeting, the worker assesses reasonable progress and reasonable efforts and communicates these findings to the family. The child's well-being needs are assessed at these times and referrals are made as appropriate.
3.7.1 The Call Floor Worker Begins the Assessment | 3.7.2 The Child Protection Services Worker Identifies the Safety Issues | 3.7.3 The Child Protection Services Worker Completes the CERAP and Develops a Safety Plan if | 3.7.4 The Child Protection Services Worker Identifies the Risk Issues and Assess the Underlying Conditions | 3.7.5 The Child Protection Services Worker Determines Case Disposition | 3.7.6 The Child Protection Services Worker and Permanency Worker Conduct the Handoff | 3.7.7 The Permanency Worker Conducts an Initial Assessment and Develops the Initial Service Plan | 3.7.8 The Permanency Worker Completes the Comprehensive Assessment | 3.7.9 The permanency worker ensures an ongoing, focused assessment and periodic reviews