What is?
When a child is in a continuous state of danger due to caregiver behaviors, attitudes, motives, emotions, and/or situations posing a specific threat of severe harm to the child.
What is Impending Danger
A child who is dependent on others for protection and is exposed to circumstances that she or he is powerless to manage.
What is VULNERABLE CHILD?
Susan has been missing from her home for the past two weeks. Sara (Age 6) and Adam (age 4) have been home alone and there is no other adult available to provide for their basic care.
What is Impending Danger Threat #1: 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 of severe harm?
Analysis of any previous reports of maltreatment that includes history, duration, chronicity, and determination for increase in severity. Parent's response to DCS and their acknowledgement and attitude about maltreatment.
What is Circumstances Surrounding the Maltreatment?
Immediate, Significant, and Clearly Observable
What is the criteria for present danger?
All of these must be met for at least one identified safety threat in order to determine a child is in impending danger.
What are the 5 Safety Thresholds?
Family behaviors, conditions, or situations representing a danger to a child that are real, definite, can be seen, and understood.
What is OBSERVABLE?
John and his 3 children; Michael (3), Samantha (2), and John Jr (6 months) reside in a home that is being condemned. Floors in the doublewide trailer are rotted and are falling through the home structure. There are several holes in the wall and ceiling with numerous pockets of rotting water due to roof that is damaged and leaking. There are several exposed wires throughout the home that are in access of the children and susceptible to water at any given time due to water leak in ceiling and bathroom wall. The plumbing is not working resulting in sewage being backed up. Toliet can not be flushed and thus is overflowing with feces and human waste.
What is Impending Danger Threat #6: Physical conditions of the home are hazardous and may directly cause serious harm to the child?
Assessment of the caregiver's history of abuse/neglect as a child, history of substance use, history of domestic violence in current and past relationships, personal and family relationships, emotional well-being, and cognitive/developmental functioning.
What is Adult Functioning?
True or False
Present danger can be assessed at any time throughout the life of a case.
True
To gather sufficient and relevant information to make an informed decision about whether a child is safe or unsafe.
What is the purpose of the Family Functioning Assessment (FFA)?
Family behavior, condition or situation which cannot be restrained resulting in unpredictable chaos.
What is UNMANAGED?
Claudia is the mother to Jordan (9). Claudia was recently arrested following a drug raid on her home due to manufacturing of methamphetamine and sales which were taking place in her home. An active meth lab was found in the garage of mother's home. Three other adults were located in the garage where manufacturing was taken place and was confirmed that the meth made in the garage was being sold. Claudia was utilizing Jordan to assist in the sales of methamphetamine as Jordan was bringing substances to individuals in her neighborhood and school and was caught selling to an undercover officer.
What is Impending Danger Threat #12: 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?
Assessment of parent's history of protective behaviors, ability to recognize safety threats and danger to child, knowledge of child's development, response to their child and their child's needs, history of parenting and experience in caring for children.
What is General Parenting Practices?
If any child in the home is in present danger, the DCS Specialist must implement a _____________ that controls the present danger condition prior to leaving the child or family.
What is a Present Danger Plan?
Extent of Maltreatment Circumstances Surrounding the Maltreatment, Child Functioning, Adult Functioning, General Parenting Practices, and Discipline and Behavior Management
What are the Six Domains of the Family Functioning Assessment?
Extreme harm effects as serious as physical injury, disability, terror/fear, impairment, and death.
What is SEVERE?
Jack (13) resides in the home with his mother, Jill and his stepfather, Bob. Jack was observed at school today with significant bruising to his arms, back, and face. Marks on his face and back appear to be that of a handprint. Bob struggles in managing his anger and when upset or angered takes his frustrations out on Jack through use of physical abuse. Physical abuse has included punching, kicking, hitting, and use of belt which has resulted in several injuries. Bob was arrested this afternoon on child abuse charges for the above injuries. Jill is aware of the abuse and has been witness to several of these incidents. Jill has failed to intervene and indicates that she loves Bob and understands that he is under a great deal of stress at work. He is easily frustrated and as Jack is a pre-teen and can at times be difficult with his behaviors believes at times that Jack can be a nuisance and thus deserves the punishments given by Bob. At times she does feel that Bob can be a bit aggressive and has had discussions with him, however believes as Bob is the man in the house that he knows what he is doing when disciplining Jack and it is okay. Jill does not work and the home, cars, and all of the finances are under Bob for whom she is solely dependent upon. Jill has made statements that she is intending to post bail for Bob this evening.
What is Impending Danger Threat #14: 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?
What is Child Functioning?
True or False
In 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 and the child is in present danger.
True
Observable Family Conditions, Vulnerable Child, Unmanaged Situation, Severe Effect to the child, and Imminent harm to the child (Observable, Vulnerable, Unmanaged, Severe, Imminent).
What are the five safety thresholds?
Belief that dangerous family conditions/behavior/situations will remain active or become active without delay within the immediate to near future.
What is IMMINENT?
Kathy is the mother to Tommy (11) and Joseph (7). Kathy along with her children has been transient for the past six months often times sleeping in the alley way under make shift homes made of tarps and blankets or cardboard boxes. Kathy is not working and has failed to renew her food stamps. Children are often found panhandling on the streets and seeking food and money from strangers. It is currently winter and the temperature has dropped to below freezing at night. The children are often seen with shorts on and spring jackets with sandals and at times no shoes. They are dirty and unkept. Neither is in school and neither is believed to have any friends of family. Father to the children is deceased and mother has no communication or contact with her own parents due to previous abuse and neglect by them as a child. Joseph was recently brought in to local ER after suffering a severe cut to his finger that due to being untreated led to development of a severe staph infection and has begun to enter his bloodstream. Arrangements were being made to admit Joseph to the hospital for extended and necessary treatment, however mother left with Joseph against medical advice.
What is Impending Danger Threat #15: 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?
Assessment of discipline utilized in the home, emotional state of parent when discipling, their perception and beliefs around discipline, is discipline age appropriate and expectations the parent has of their children.
What is Discipline and Behavior Management?
No more than 14 days
How many days a present danger plan is valid for?