OAR 413-015-0432: Develop Safety Plans

(1) When a present danger safety threat or impending danger safety threat is identified, a CPS worker must put a safety plan in place to manage the threat. There are three types of safety plans: the protective action plan which manages present danger safety threats, and the initial safety plan and the ongoing safety plan, which manage impending danger safety threats. (2) Shared requirements for a protective action plan, initial safety plan, or ongoing safety plan: (a) When developing a protective action plan, initial safety plan, or ongoing safety plan, the CPS worker must: (A) Assure the plan focuses on and controls the identified present danger safety threat or impending danger safety threat; (B) Not use a parent or caregiver who is the alleged perpetrator of physical abuse, sexual abuse, or domestic violence to provide protection or any other adult who was aware of the threats to child safety and did not protect; (C) Include safety service providers that have been confirmed to be suitable to provide safety for the child (refer to OAR 413-015-1200 through 413-015-1230, "Assessment of an Individual as a Safety Service Provider"); (D) Involve the child's parent or caregiver; (E) Involve the child's tribe as a resource and comply with OAR chapter 413, division 115 when the CPS worker knows or has reason to know that the child is an Indian child; and (F) Assure it has been approved by a Child Welfare supervisor. (b) The protective action plan, initial safety plan, or ongoing safety plan, whether in-home or out-of-home, must: (A) Be a written document between the parent or caregiver and Child Welfare; (B) Provide a detailed description of the present danger safety threat or impending danger safety threat; (C) Describe how identified present danger safety threats or impending danger safety threats will be managed, including: (i) If impending danger safety threats will be managed in-home, an explanation of how the in-home criteria outlined in (2)(c)(B) of this rule were met; (ii) If impending danger safety threats will be managed out-of-home, an explanation of how the in-home criteria outlined in (2)(c)(B) of this rule were not met; and (iii) How the plan will be monitored. (D) Identify the safety service providers and the safety services necessary to implement the plan; and (E) Establish the time commitments and availability of those involved in the plan. (c) The CPS worker must determine whether the impending danger safety threat will be managed with an in-home or out-of-home initial safety plan or ongoing safety plan by determining how the impending danger safety threat is occurring and applying the in-home safety plan criteria. (A) The CPS worker must understand how the impending danger safety threat is occurring as required in OAR 413-015-0428, "Identify How the Impending Danger Safety Threat is Occurring", and use the information about how the impending danger safety threat is occurring to develop the least intrusive plan that can manage the identified impending danger safety threat occurring within the particular family; (B) An in-home initial safety plan or in-home ongoing safety plan is required when all of the following in-home safety plan criteria are met: (i) There is a home-like setting where the parent and child live. (ii) There are no barriers in the home to allowing safety service providers and activities to occur. (iii) At least one parent is willing to cooperate with the plan. (iv) The necessary safety activities and resources are available to implement the plan. (C) An out-of-home initial safety plan or out-of-home ongoing safety plan is required when any of the in-home safety plan criteria outlined in (B)(i) through (iv) above are not met. (d) A protective action plan, initial safety plan, or ongoing safety plan may be a combination of in-home and out-of-home in order to assure the least intrusive intervention. (e) When CPS worker has determined a child is unsafe and an individual other than the parent or guardian is required to manage the child’s safety, the CPS worker must comply with OAR 413-070-0069 to identify relatives and persons with a caregiver relationship. If the child enters care with a non-relative caregiver, the CPS worker must also comply with OAR 413-070-0072 to contact and provide notice to relatives and persons with a caregiver relationship. (f) The CPS worker must make modifications to the protective action plan, initial safety plan, or ongoing safety plan, as necessary, to continue to control the identified present danger safety threats or impending danger safety threats. (g) When assessing an allegation of sexual abuse, if a plan includes a parent or caregiver, who is the alleged perpetrator, consenting to leave the family home, the CPS worker must notify the local district attorney responsible for the MDT in the county where the child resides that a plan of this type has been developed, pursuant to ORS 418.800. The notice must: (A) Be in writing; and (B) Be provided within three business days of the date the parent or caregiver leaves the family home. (h) When a plan includes a parent or caregiver, who is the alleged perpetrator, consenting to leave the family home without their children or have their children leave the family home without them, the CPS worker must, in consultation with a supervisor, file a petition alleging the child is within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court pursuant to ORS 419B.100 within 10 calendar days of the date the parent or caregiver or their children leave the home if the plan is still necessary to assure child safety and will continue to be necessary for the immediate future. A CPS supervisor and Child Welfare program manager may jointly approve a one-time extension to continue the plan described in this section for up to an additional 30 days when the criteria outlined in "Safety Planning” procedure are met. (i) When the protective action plan or initial safety plan involves an Indian child remaining in the home with a parent , the CPS worker must make active efforts to consult and partner with the Indian child ’s tribe. If the Indian child ’s tribe is unavailable, consult with the Tribal Affairs Unit. (3) Additional Requirements for a Protective Action Plan. Refer to OAR 413-015-0435, "Develop a Protective Action Plan", for additional requirements when developing a protective action plan. (4) Additional Requirements for an Initial Safety Plan. Refer to OAR 413-015-0437, "Develop an Initial Safety Plan", for additional requirements when developing an initial safety plan. (5) Additional Requirements for an Ongoing Safety Plan. Refer to OAR 413-015-0450, "Develop an Ongoing Safety Plan", for additional requirements when developing an ongoing safety plan. (6) Documentation. The CPS worker must provide a detailed description of the protective action plan, initial safety plan, or ongoing safety plan developed to manage the present danger safety threat or impending danger safety threat. Documentation must be completed in the Child Welfare electronic information system within five business days following the identification of the threat and must include: (a) All requirements outlined in paragraphs (2)(b)(B) through (E) of this rule; (b) A summary of the parents' and caregivers' agreement to and acceptance of the plan; and (c) The date the plan was reviewed by a supervisor and the name of the supervisor who reviewed it.