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Assessing Child Safety and Risk in Families Affected by Substance Abuse

Assessment strategies may need to be adapted to the unique circumstances when determining safety and risk in families affected by substance abuse.

National Resource Center for Child Protective Services (NRCCPS) NRCCPS helps agencies identify and implement program improvement strategies at intake, investigation, assessment, case disposition, and case planning. Safety Intervention in Methamphetamine Using Families: A Practice Guide for Safety Decision Making and Safety Management in Child Protective Services (PDF - 57 KB) National Resource Center for Child Protective Services (2005) Discusses topics related to methamphetamine use in families and intervention strategies and provides references to resources and publications. Safety Intervention During CPS Intake With Methamphetamine-Using Caregivers: Gathering Information and Responding to CPS Referrals Which Include Possible Methamphetamine Use (PDF - 146 KB) National Resource Center for Child Protective Services (2005) Includes a discussion of how to make intake decisions and screening decisions, sample questions for information gathering during intake, considerations for response time, safety threshold criteria, and information on worker safety.

Assessing Risk in Families Affected by Substance Abuse
Olsen, Allen, & Azzi-Lessing
View Abstract
Child Abuse & Neglect, 20(9), 1996
Presents an instrument for assessing risk in families affected by substance abuse that takes into account the familial environment and other factors that make it difficult for parents to meet the basic needs of their children.

Colorado's Protocol: Improving Services to Families: Strategies for Substance Abuse Treatment, Child Welfare, and Dependency Court: A Guide for Counties, Service Providers, and Judicial Districts in Colorado (PDF - 741 KB)
Colorado Department of Human Services, Colorado Office of the State Court Administrator, & National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (2004)
Guidelines for determining the presence of substance abuse and for assessing the need for immediate intervention at the initial screening.

Drug Endangered Children: Initial Response Forms (PDF - 357 KB)
Denver Family Crisis Center (2005)
A compilation of forms and procedures used when reviewing the hazards to children in a clandestine laboratory environment.

Meth and Family-Centered Child Welfare Practice
North Carolina Division of Social Services
Children's Services Practice Notes, 10(2), 2005
Articles in this special issue include information on recognizing and evaluating the safety of a methamphetamine lab as well as creating a safe, family-centered response to these substances.

Safety Management With Methamphetamine-Using Caregivers (PDF - 149 KB)
National Resource Center for Child Protective Services (2004)
Discusses identifying and assessing safety threats in the initial assessment of families involved in methamphetamine use, including criteria for identifying present danger and impending danger and key steps for managing safety threats.

Substance Abuse - Neglect/Physical Abuse With Minor Injury (PDF - 287 KB)
Feild & Winterfeld (2003)
In Tough Problems, Tough Choices: Guidelines for Needs-Based Service Planning in Child Welfare
Addresses both prenatal substance abuse and the injury of children due to parental substance abuse, including a guide to an immediate case practice response by the child protection worker.

Updated on February 24, 2010