| - RISK DECISION # 3 - |
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| Page 715 =========== |
| === RISK ASSESSMENT MODEL === for Child Protection in Ontario |
| Is the child safe NOW ? : |
| - THE THEORY - |
| Standard ( 3 ) : |
| Eligibility for Service |
| THE DETAILS |
| Cont'd from Page 714 |
| The CPS... worker shall identify any child/ren, in other families, who may be in need of protection given the information, gathered during the investigation. The worker shall document that information and determine eligibility for service, using the Eligibility Spectrum, or report the concerns to the appropriate Child Protection Agency, Child and Family Services Agency - and/or - Children's Aid Society. |
| Requirements Supporting Standard : |
| In all cases... where the referral, report, information, is scored above the Intervention Line, on the Eligibility Spectrum under (Risk Decision # 1), the child(ren) shall be seen - and - a Safety Assessment completed (unless factual information received, after the initial Eligibility Rating was made, but prior to the first "face-to-face" contact, with the child/ren, indicates there are no longer any, reasonable/probable grounds to suspect that the child/ren may be in need of protection and the investigation is discontinued) |
| A Safety Assessment... shall be completed for all children in a family, in the context of each full protection investigation including investigations initiated for a child already receiving service from the CPS/CAS. All children in the family who on the basis of reasonable -and/or- probable grounds, are suspected to be "in need of protection", shall be seen by the CPS/CAS worker, within the response time designated in ( Risk Decision # 2 ). The CPS/CAS worker shall gather sufficient information, to inform the Safety Assessment, for each child, in the family, including any children, not seen by the worker. |
| The Standard... requires the worker, to consult with the supervisor, at some point, prior to the completion of the Safety Assessment Form. A judgement is required, as to whether consultation should occur, at the time, of the face-to-face contact, with the child(ren) -or- subsequent to that contact. The Safety Assessment Form, is to be completed by the worker within (24) hours, of a child being seen. |
| In addition... to face-to-face contact, with the child/ren, the CPS/CAS worker shall make every effort, to interview the primary caregiver/s, of the child/ren, to inform the " Safety Assessment ". |
| The CPS/CAS... worker completes the Safety Assessment, on the basis of all information gathered including information, related to the, (11) safety factors, critical to this judgement -and- any other safety factors relevant, to the particular case. |
| In the event... that face-to-face contact, with any child/ren, who may be in need of protection -and/or- any primary caregiver/s, of the child/ren, does not occur, prior to the worker's completion, of a "Safety Assessment Form", the worker shall include some sort of a plan, to make those contacts, in the Immediate Safety Intervention Plan. |
| In determining... the steps/actions required for the Immediate Safety Intervention Plan, for the child/ren, the worker shall consider the cultural context, of the child -and- family, the range of strengths - and/or - protective factors, which are present. |
| Regardless... of the outcome of the, " Safety Assessment ", the worker shall complete the full child protection investigation. The focus of the, Safety Assessment, is the immediate safety, of the child while the focus of a full protection investigation, is to determine whether a child is/is not, in need of protection These tasks may be overlapping -and- at times, few further investigative tasks remain, subsequent to the assessment, of the immediate safety, of the child/ren. |
| Any subsequent... referrals, reports, information, that a child is -or- may be in need of protection rated above the Intervention Line, (Risk Decision # 1), or new information - or - concerns, that a child may be unsafe, requires investigation - and - the completion of a new Safety Assessment Form. |
| CPS/CAS... workers shall identify any collateral service providers - and - seek appropriate consents to disclosure, of information. |
| Native... children of Native people are encouraged to involve band representatives -or- an appropriate community resource worker. These professionals will be of assistance to the worker, in the formulation of the Immediate Safety Intervntion Plan. |