Item 2:
Is item 2 applicable when the agency has determined that a child is safe based on the results of a structured decision making (SDM) instrument or other tool that was completed?
Reviewers should not rely solely on the results of a safety assessment tool to determine if safety concerns were present that would have necessitated the provision or arrangement of safety related services. Some safety assessment tools are designed to determine only if a child should remain in the home with protections and don’t necessarily assess for and identify needed safety services. If the reviewers determine that there were safety concerns present that immediately impact parents’ abilities to protect children and keep them safe which could lead to a child’s placement or re-entry into foster care – such as active domestic violence or substance abuse, or lack of supervision, for example - then the expectation would be that item 2 is applicable.