Safe AZ

What are Cognitive Protective Capacities

Plans and articulates a plan to protect the child(ren) Is self-aware as a parent/caregiver Is intellectually able to fulfill responsibilities Recognizes threats Recognizes child(ren)'s needs Understands own protective role

Present Danger

the dangerous situation is in the process of occurring, just happened, happens all the time, or requires an immediate protective action because the alleged abuse or neglect cannot be immediately ruled out

What are Behavioral Protective Capacities

History of protecting Takes action Controls impulses Sets aside own needs for children Demonstrates adequate skills as a caregiver Adaptive as a parent

Impending Danger

is an observable family condition or specific behavior, emotion, attitude, perception or situation that may not be occurring in the present, but is likely to occur with in the foreseeable future and there is a degree of certainty or inevitability that it will result in serious or severe harm to a child without intervention

In-Home Safety Questions

1.Is there a combination of safety actions and/or services capable of sufficiently controlling the identified danger threats, and are there sufficient resources within the family network or community to control the identified treats? 2.Are the parents, guardians, or custodians willing for an in-home or combination safety plan to be implemented and have the demonstrated that they will cooperate with the responsible adults, safety service providers, and safety actions identified in the safety plan? 3.Is the home environment calm and consistent enough for an in-home safety plan to be implemented and for responsible adults and/or safety service providers to be in the home safely? 4.Can an in-home safety plan and the use of in-home safety actions and/or services sufficiently control impending danger without the results of outside professional evaluations (substance abuse, psychiatric/psychological, medical)? 5.Do the parents, guardians, or custodians have a suitable place to reside where an in-home or combination safety plan can be implemented?

Types of Ongoing Safety Plans

24/7 out of home Combination in home and out of home In Home

Child Well Being Indicators

Emotion/Trauma Behavior Development/Early Learning Academic Status Positive Peer and Adult Relationships Family Relationships Physical Health Cultural Identity Substance Awareness Preparation for Adult Living Skill Development (applies only to children 14 and over)

Child is profoundly fearful of parent, guardian, or custodian, other family members or other people living in or having access to the home

Impending Danger

Child sexual abuse is suspected and perpetrator access places the child in immediate serious or severe harm

Impending Danger

Dynamics in the household include an individual/adult establishing power, control, or coercion over a caregiver in a way that impairs the necessary supervision or care of the child and has caused, or will likely cause, serious or severe harm to the child's physical, mental, or emotional health.

Impending Danger

Parent, guardian or custodian is unable to perform essential parental responsibilities due to alcohol/substance use, mental health conditions, physical impairment, or cognitive limitations, and as a result, the child is likely to suffer serious or severe harm

Impending Danger

Parent, guardian, or custodian deliberately harmed the child, has caused serious or severe harm to the child, or has made a threat to cause serious or severe harm to the child.

Impending Danger

Parent, guardian, or custodian has not, cannot, or will not protect a child from serious or severe harm, including harm from other persons living in or having access to the home

Impending Danger

Parent, guardian, or custodian is unable or unwilling to perform essential parental responsibilities or to meet the child's immediate needs for food, clothing, shelter, and/or medical or mental health care, which may result in serious or severe harm to the child

Impending Danger

Parent, guardian, or custodian leaves child alone or fails to provide adequate supervision and child is not capable of caring for self, or leaves child with persons unwilling or unable to provide adequate care, and as a result, the child is likely to suffer serious or severe harm

Impending Danger

Parent, guardian, or custodian previously threatened the safety of a child and/or caused harm to a child and circumstances indicate the person could cause serious or severe harm to the child.

Impending Danger

Parent, guardian, or custodian's behavior is violent, bizarre, erratic, unpredictable, incoherent, or totally inappropriate and may cause serious or severe harm to the child

Impending Danger

Parent, guardian, or custodian's explanation for the child's injury or physical condition is inconsistent with the observed or diagnosed injury or condition

Impending Danger

Physical conditions of the home are hazardous and may directly cause serious or severe harm to the child.

Impending Danger

The behavior of a child living in the home threatens serious or severe harm to him/herself or to others and the parent, guardian, or custodian cannot control the behavior or is unwilling or unable to arrange or provide necessary care

Impending Danger

The parent, guardian, or custodian's involvement in criminal activity or the criminal activity of any other person living in or having access to the home may result in serious or severe harm to the child

Impending Danger

There is evidence of abuse or neglect and the parent, guardian, or custodian cannot produce the child, refuses access to the child, is likely to flee with the child, or is actively avoiding DCS

Impending Danger

a child being in a continuous state of danger due to caregiver behaviors, attitudes, motives, emotions and/or situations posing a specific threat of severe harm to a child.

Impending Danger

Present Danger Plan

In place for no more than 14 days Immediate Short Term Sufficient

Responsible Adult

May be a parent or guardian, or custodian in another household, a family member or another adult who meets the criteria. They must be present and immediately available to take action any time the threat of danger is present.

What are emotional Protective Capacities

Meets own emotional needs (in appropriate ways) Resilient as a caregiver Tolerant as a caregiver Is emotionally stable Expresses love, empathy, sensitivity for child(ren) Is positively attached with child(ren) Is aligned with and supports child(ren)

What are the 5 safety threshold

Observable, Vulnerable, Unmanaged, Severity, Imminence

caregiver has an extremely negative perception of the child, such as seeing the child as demon possessed; and/or has extremely unrealistic expectations for the child's behavior

Present Danger

caregiver is brandishing weapons, known to be dangerous and aggressive, or is currently behaving in attacking or aggressive ways

Present Danger

caregiver is out of control and cannot focus or manage his/her behavior in ways to properly perform parental responsibilities

Present Danger

caregiver is subjecting the child to brutal or bizarre punishment such as confined to a cage, tied to an object, locked in a closet, forced feeding, scalding with hot water, burning with cigarettes

Present Danger

caregiver is unable or unwilling to perform essential parental responsibilities and there is no other appropriate caretaker immediately available

Present Danger

caregiver is unable to perform essential parental responsibilities right now or all of the time due to alcohol/substance use, mental health conditions, physical impairment, and/or cognitive limitations

Present Danger

caregiver's behavior is currently violent, bizarre, erratic, unpredictable, incoherent, or totally inappropriate

Present Danger

child is profoundly fearful of their present home situation, or a particular person living in or having access to the home because of a specific concern of personal threat (this does not include generalized fear or anxiety

Present Danger

child is unsupervised or alone now or on a daily basis, or has been left with a person who is unwilling or unable to provide adequate care, and the child is not capable of caring for himself/herself

Present Danger

child requires immediate medical attention, and the absence of medical treatment could seriously affect the child's health and well-being; such as a child who is severely malnourished, dehydrated or failure to thrive (the absence of routine medical care is not a present danger situation

Present Danger

child's behavior is actively endangering self or others and caregiver cannot or will not control the child's behavior or arrange or provide necessary care

Present Danger

child's condition is the result of deliberate, preconceived planning or thinking that the caregiver is responsible for and that preceded the child's serious injuries or condition

Present Danger

dynamics in the household include an adult establishing power, control, or coercion over a caregiver in a way that impairs necessary supervision or care of the child and has caused, or will likely cause, serious harm to the child's physical, mental or emotional health

Present Danger

evidence of recent sexual abuse, the perpetrator currently has access to identified victim, and no protective action is being taken by a non-offending caregiver

Present Danger

injuries such as facial bruises, injuries to the head, or multiple plane injuries; different types of injuries on the child, such as a serious burn and bruising; bruising or injuries to a non-ambulatory child, or immersion burns

Present Danger

physical conditions in the home are hazardous and immediately threaten a child's safety, such as exposed live wiring, building capable of falling in, manufacturing of drugs (i.e. drug lab), or exposure to extreme weather

Present Danger

serious injuries that the caregivers and others cannot or will not explain, or the explanation is inconsistent with the observed or diagnosed injuries or condition

Present Danger

severe to extreme maltreatment that is alleged to be occurring in the present (i.e., child has soft tissue injuries which pose a threat to vital organs; broken bones, burns, cuts, and lacerations; vicious beatings; biting; injuries to genitals; constantly being hit; physical torture; oral sex, anal sex, or intercourse; sexual abuse accompanied with physical abuse; bizarre sexual practices; pornography/sexual exploitation; constantly berating, double binding, verbal assault/intimidation; psychological torture such as constant scapegoating, indifference, condemnation, and/or rejections

Present Danger

there is evidence of abuse or neglect and the caregiver cannot or will not produce the child, refuses access to the child, is likely to flee with the child, or is actively avoiding DCS (such as not allowing others to have contact with the child or moving a child around among relatives, adults or different homes

Present Danger

Ongoing Safety Plan

Should be updated every 60 days When a child is assessed as unsafe, the DCS Specialist will develop and immediately implement a safety plan to control all identified impending danger safety threats.

Safety Plans must be...

Sufficient Feasible Sustainable

What are the 6 Domains of Family Malfunctioning

The extend of child maltreatment Circumstances surrounding the maltreatment Child functioning on a daily basis Adult functioning on a daily basis General parenting practices Discipline and behavior management

Conditions for Return

Written statements of specific behaviors, conditions, or circumstances that must exist before a child can return and remain in the home with an in-home safety plan. They are developed anytime an out of home safety plan must be put in place, for cases that will have a case plan of Family Reunification and only for parents who we have located and assessed.