Safety plans are intended to help workers meet their goals to promote the ongoing safety and well-being of children. This written agreement developed together with the child protective services caseworker and the family clearly describes the safety services that will be used to eliminate or mitigate threats to the child’s safety. Find resources on how to develop and manage safety plans, including State and local examples.
Child Welfare Safety Assessment and Planning During COVID-19 and Physical Distancing
National Council on Crime & Delinquency (2020)
Describes ideas for how to conduct safety assessments and create safety plans during COVID-19.
Develop and Manage Safety Plans (PDF - 560 KB)
State of Florida Department of Children and Families (2020)
Establishes the policy for developing and managing safety plans.
How Can Child Protection Agencies Use Safety Science to Promote a Safety Culture?
Casey Family Programs (2020)
Examines how implementing the use of safety science to create a safety culture in child welfare could help to improve practice and reduce negative outcomes. The article discusses the importance of race equity in the development of a safety culture within child welfare; examines four key principles of a safety culture, provides recommended responses to crises that would align with a safety culture, examines lessons learned from other jurisdictions, and more.
Present Danger Assessment and Planning (PDF - 390 KB)
Arizona Department of Child Safety (2017)
Defines present danger and the possible conditions involved as well as outlines the steps for creating a present danger plan.
Safety Planning Analysis (PDF - 162 KB)
State of Florida Department of Children and Families (2020)
Explains the process of analyzing danger and how professionals can build a sufficient safety plan through answering a series of questions. This resource also provides examples of justifications for why in-home safety plans should or should not be used.
Safety Planning for Long-Term Safety and Wellbeing
Partnering for Safety
Explores the safety planning process and identifies key steps as a guide in creating a plan as each case is dynamic and complex.
State and local examples
Chapter 2: Section 7 Safety Planning
Arizona Department of Child Safety
Explains the policy and outlines the procedure to develop and implement a safety plan, including a walkthrough of questions to do an in-home safety analysis, if one is applicable to the case, and potential actions and resources.
Child Protective Services Safety Intervention Standards (PDF - 189 KB)
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (2016)
Provides guidelines for child safety decisions and actions is essential and relevant for initial assessment/investigation and ongoing Child Protective Services (CPS). Safety assessment, present danger assessment, protective planning, safety analysis, safety planning, and the management of child safety occur in every aspect of CPS involvement with a family.
Oregon Safety Model Child Welfare Safety Model Training
Oregon Department of Health and Human Services
Provides key concepts to understand about present/impending danger and protective capacity and other tools, such as example case plans and a comparison matrix.
Parent’s Guide to Child Safety Interventions (PDF - 328 KB)
Vermont Department for Children and Families, Family Services Division (2018)
Gives an overview of different types of investigations and assessments that the Vermont Department of Children and Families provides.
Safety Planning Requirements
Safe Children Coalition (2017)
Identifies the core concepts of a safety plan in the state of Florida.