Safety Decisionmaking: An Introduction to Key Concepts and Tools

1. Safety Decisionmaking: An Introduction to Key Concepts and Tools Therese Roe Lund National Resource Center for Child Protective Services Jennifer Renne National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues Pennsylvania Children’s Roundtable Summit April 29, 2013

2. “Child Safety: A Guide for Judges and Attorneys” Background and purpose Partnership between RC for Child Protective Services and RC on Legal and Judicial Issues • Safety planning as a shared responsibility • Judges make ultimate safety decisions: whether to remove a child, return a child home, etc. • Judges and lawyers often lack sufficient training in basic principles of safety assessment and planning • Caseworkers often make safety recommendations based on inadequate information or faulty assessments • Judges asking the agency the right questions in each and every case leads to an improvement in agency practice

3. Purpose of Guide Provide for judges and attorneys practical information about child safety so they can: • Assess whether agency recommendations are based on sufficient information; and ask for additional information to be gathered and reported to court; • Assess whether agency recommendations are based on thorough analysis of specific criteria to child safety decision making; • Make good decisions about child safety.  Keep kids out of care who don’t need to be there  Get kids who initially needed to be in care returned home without unnecessary delay  For kids who are unsafe at home, implement an in-home safety plan, or placed in care, where appropriate

4. Objective of this Presentation Introduce basic principles of child safety decision making Begin consideration of whether to use The Guide in local court communities How to use the Safety Guide and how to access technical assistance to explore implementation of its principles

5. How to Use the Guide • Text explains basic principles of safety decision-making • Information that needs to be gathered • How to process and understand that information to make appropriate safety decisions • Benchcards • To be used as tools to remind judges and attorneys of essential criteria for safety decision-making • Creates accountability for agency • All parties can be using benchcards to prepare • Case examples • Illustrate principles; apply concepts to case scenarios

6. Two Ways to Get the Guide ABA Website www.abanet.org/child/rclji/ NRCCPS Website www.nrccps.org Free down load print out, bind as you please No bench cards Addenda Purchase by Order ($21.99) Wire bound, hard copy Includes bench cards No addenda

7. Legal Terms • Statutes may have language similar to: • Imminent risk • Risk of harm • Imminent risk of severe harm • Threat of harm • Threat of imminent harm • Distinction between safety and “at risk” • Safety concerned about imminence and severe consequences due to things being out of control • Risk vague concept regarding whether something might occur if there is not intervention; risk may be mild or serious. • Regardless of the terminology in your statute, the critical question is whether or not the child is safe.

8. Removal(and return) is about SAFETY*Reunification is not attached to compliance with service agreement/ case plan

9. Safety Guide: Sets Out a Rational Decision Making Process, that Provides… • Common understanding of “child safety” • Commonly understood vocabulary to talk about it • Commonly accepted body of information to draw upon in decision making • Underlying principles of good safety decision-making in any practice model • Accountability

10. Key Concept Threat of Danger? + Vulnerable child? - Protective Capacity? = “unsafe child” Chapter 1 p. 2

11. Initial hearings disposition review Gather information Safety Plan --Assess safety: sufficient, feasible, sustainable? Least restrictive given circumstances? Reunify? Treatment Plan-- Assess needs and progress: reduced threat, developed capacity? Parents keep child safe without support? (close case?)

12. How do we know whether a severe injury of a child represents a pattern of dangerous family conditions or is a one-time incident?

13. Information/evidence drives decisions • Court and advocates need to be able to assess whether there is sufficient showing of evidence upon which to base the agency’s recommendations. • Answers to six questions is the bare minimum a judge needs to know to make safety decisions. Chapter 2 p 3

14. Six Questions/Six Categories • Nature of maltreatment • Circumstances of maltreatment • Child’s day-to-day functioning 4. Parental discipline 5. Overall parenting practices 6. Parental life management skills Chapter 2 p. 3 – 5 Benchcard A

15. Time, time, time… • Initial contrary to welfare determination may well be made mostly on the basis of the nature and circumstances of the maltreatment • Reasonable efforts findings and the case plan—due 60 days from removal—must be made on complete information Chapter 2 p 7

16. “Incident Based Approach"  “Identified Threat Approach”

17. INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION = POOR DECISIONS = POOR OUTCOMES

18. Sufficient Information Open To p. 5

19. Vocabulary: Safe and Unsafe Child • Safe child • “Vulnerable” children are safe when there are no “threats of danger” within the family or home OR when the caregivers possess sufficient “protective capacity” to manage or control any threats. • Unsafe child • Children are unsafe when they are “vulnerable,” there are “threats of danger” within the family or home AND the caregivers have insufficient “protective capacities” to manage or control the threats, making outside intervention necessary.. Chapter 1, p. 2

20. Key Concept Threat of Danger + Vulnerable child - Protective Capacity = “unsafe child” Chapter 1 p. 2

21. Threat of Danger OPEN TO Chapter 3, p. 10 Appendix A Benchcard B

22. Vocabulary: Threats of Danger A specific family situation or behavior, emotion, motive, perception or capacity of a family member observable out of control immediate severe consequences Chapter 3, p. 10 Appendix A

23. Threats of Danger • Where does the threat of danger perceived by the agency fit on this list? • Require specificity • Not organized by case type (stated behaviorally) • Need definition to avoid (minimize?) bias • Threat is less about the incident and more about patterns, behaviors, perceptions, attitudes ★ Chapter 3 p. 10 Appendix A

24. Child Vulnerability OPEN TO Chapter 3, p 11 Benchcard C

25. Key Concept Threat of Danger + Vulnerable child - Protective Capacity = “unsafe child” Chapter 1 p. 2

26. Vocabulary: Vulnerability • Vulnerability: degree of dependence on others for protection and care • Assess vulnerability in light of specific threats in this family • AGE is not themarker, it’s only one marker Chapter 3, p. 11

27. Obvious Vulnerabilities • Age 0-6 • Physical, developmental disabilities or delays • Poor health, physical capacity • Inability to articulate danger Chapter 3, p. 12

28. Less Obvious Vulnerabilities Isolated from community • Cannot anticipate or judge presence of danger • Consciously or unknowingly provokes danger • Emotionally vulnerable • Impact of prior maltreatment • Attachment (enmeshment), fear, insecurity re parent • Unable to articulate problems or danger Case Example, p 12 Chapter 3, p 12

29. Vulnerability Case Example OPEN TO Page 12

30. Protective Capacities OPEN TO Chapter 3, p 13 Appendix B pp 65 – 71 Benchcard D

31. Key Concept Threat of Danger + Vulnerable child - Protective Capacity = “unsafe child” Chapter 1 p. 2

32. Vocabulary: Protective Capacities Personal characteristics associated with being protective, That indicate protective vigilance, preparation and power to protect. Chapter 3, p. 13 - 17 Appendix B pp 65 - 71

33. Cognitive Protective Capacities • refers to knowledge, understanding, and perceptions contributing to protective vigilance. • parents with low intellectual functioning can still protect their children • Does the parent recognize she is responsible for her child, and recognize clues or alerts that danger is pending? • For example, the parent: • - articulates a plan to protect the child • - is aligned with the child • - has adequate knowledge to fulfill care-giving responsibilities and tasks • - is reality oriented; perceives reality accurately • - has accurate perceptions of the child • - understands his/her protective role • - is self-aware as a parent

34. Behavioral Protective Capacities • refers to actions, activities, and performance that result in protective vigilance. • behavioral aspects show it is not enough to know what must be done, or recognize what might be dangerous to a child; the parent must act. • Behavioral protective capacities demonstrated when the parent: • - is physically able • - has a history of protecting others • - acts to correct problems or challenges • - demonstrates impulse control • - demonstrates adequate skill to fulfill care-giving responsibilities • - possesses adequate energy • - sets aside her/his needs in favor of a child • - is adaptive and assertive • - uses resources necessary to meet the child’s basic needs

35. Emotional Protective Capacities • refers to feelings, attitudes and identification with the child and motivation resulting in protective vigilance. • 2 issues (1) the attachment between parent and child, (2) the parent’s own emotional strength. • Emotional protective capacities can be demonstrated when the parent: • - is able to meet own emotional needs • - is emotionally able to intervene to protect the child • - realizes the child cannot produce gratification and self-esteem for the parent • - is tolerant as a parent • - displays concern for the child and the child’s experience and is intent on emotionally protecting the child • - has a strong bond with the child, knows a parent’s first priority is well-being of the child. • - expresses love, empathy and sensitivity toward the child; experiences specific empathy with the child’s perspective and feelings

36. How do we know sufficient protective capacity exists? • Not a matter of good intentions or sincerity • Credible evidence (from answering six questions) shows that the parent can protect against a threat that exists. Chapter 3, p. 13-18 Appendix B

37. Prompting Questions • Demonstrated ability to protect • Intellectually, emotionally and physically able • Display concern re child’s experience • Articulates feasible, realistic plan to protect • Understand threat • Emotionally able to carry out plan • Believe problems are not child’s fault Chapter 3, p. 15-16

38. This Process is Both a Sword and a Shield • Children who are not safe can be protected • Children who are safe will not be taken into care • What is the cause of unnecessary removals and tardy returns? • Uncertainty caused by lack of evidence and a consensus about how it should be applied. • “better safe than sorry”

39. Unsafe Child? What now? Benchcard E

40. In home safety plan Safety Plans combination Out of home safety plan OPEN TO Chapter 5, p 21 – 23

41. Safety Plan actions and services that will temporarily substitute for lacking parental protective capacity to control the threat of danger Chapter 5, p 21

42. A safety plan controls threats of danger • It does not completely remove them • Safety plans (in or out of the home) do not require parental change if it makes child safe • Essential: food, clothing, shelter, level of supervision, protection from severe harm OPEN TO Chapter 7, p. 71 Appendix D pp. 77 – 81

43. Key Concept Threat of Danger controlled by Safety Plan + Vulnerable child - Safety Plan substituting for compromised Protective Capacity = “safe child” Chapter 1 p. 36

44. “CASE PLAN”§475 [42 USC 675] (“The ASFA”) “A plan assuring that the child receives safe and proper care…” Safety Plan “and that the services are provided to the parents, child and foster parents in order to improve conditions in the parent’s home, to facilitate return of the child to his own home.” Treatment Plan Keeping track of two plans Chapter 8, p. 39

45. Safety Plan ≠ Case/Treatment Plan • Does not include: 1. How parent needs to change, or 2. Services to be employed to support parental change

46. Safety Plan Must • Immediately control or manage threat of danger • Be made up of components (people and services) accessible when threat will be present • Describe concrete, action oriented activities and tasks assigned to identified people • NEVER rely on parental promises to control what has been assessed as out of control Chapter 5, p. 21

47. What Type of Safety Plan? How and when do threats emerge? Home environment conducive to controlling the pattern of emerging danger? What outside actions or services required to do that? Chapter 6, p. 26 Benchcard G

48. In-home safety plan? With threats of danger clearly identified by defined criteria it becomes easier to assess whether agency could control them within the child’s home • Managing Crises • Providing Social Support • Separating Parent and Child when necessary for safety • Providing Resources (Practical Benefits the Family Might Otherwise Be Unable to Afford) Chapter 5, p 22

49. Is a plan… • Sufficient? • Feasible? • Sustainable? • How often and for how long would services be necessary? • Providers available as often and for duration needed? • Aware, committed and reliable people involved? • Able to sustain the intense effort until parents are able to protect without support? Chapter 6, p. 26

50. An in-home safety plan in this case? • Can this vulnerable child, notwithstanding lack of these parent’s capacity to protect from these threats of danger, be made safe in this home? Chapter 5, p. 22