3.12 Case Plan Evaluation/Ongoing Assessment

​The SSW:

1. Creates the ongoing case plan evaluation/ongoing assessment: 
1. At least every six (6) months; 
2. Prior to the periodic case planning conference; and 
3. Prior to case closure; 
   
2. Considers the safety threats and risk factors that brought the family into contact with the agency; 
3. Utilizes information gathered during contact with the family and service providers to assess family functioning; 
   
4. Completes the Case Plan Evaluation/Ongoing Assessment within thirty (30) calendar days prior to convening a case planning​/family team meeting. The case plan evaluation focuses on the following: 
1.  The elimination of safety threats. A child is assessed to be safe when there is no threat of danger within the family or home, or, if such a threat does exist, ​​​the family has sufficient protective capacities to protect the child(ren) and manage the threat; 
   
2. The reduction of risk factors. An assessment of risk includes the identification of risk factors, which are family behaviors that create an environment or circumstances that increase the chance that the parent(s) or caregiver(s) will maltreat their child(ren). Risk factors of various degrees and seriousness may exist within a single family, and some risk factors are better than others are for indicating the likelihood of child maltreatment. Examples of factors that have been associated with increased risk of child maltreatment include parental substance misuse, domestic violence, and parental childhood history of abuse. Young children and children with disabilities are at greater risk for maltreatment because of their greater dependency on others for care; 
3. Family composition or developmental stages. Current family composition, changes that have occurred in health, efforts to locate absent parents or relatives if in out-of-home care (OOHC), the family’s’ use of supports, etc..; 
4. Protective capacity. How the family​ responds to the needs of the child(ren), insights into high-risk behaviors or patterns, overall protective capacity, etc;
5. Current placement. The ability of the caretakers to meet the child’s needs, methods of behavioral management, protective capacity, safety concerns, relationship between the caretaker and child, willingness to make a permanent placement commitment to the child, etc.; and 
6. The Case Plan Evaluation/Ongoing Assessment also incorporates an overall assessment focusing on what tasks need to be completed so the case may move towards closure and what barriers are preventing this from occurring. 
5. Considers the level of cooperation and efforts made by family members to eliminate safety threats and reduce risk factors to mitigate overall danger to the child(ren); 
6.  Assesses whether the safety threats have been eliminated: 
1. Risk refers to the likelihood that maltreatment may occur if there is not intervention and is synonymous with words like chance, probability, or potential. Identified risk factors may be classified as low, moderate, or high. 
2. Safety refers to a condition present within a home or family that creates an immediate safety threat, or threat of severe harm, that may result in severe consequences without immediate intervention. A safety threat refers to a specific family situation or behavior, emotion, motive, or capacity of a family member that is out-of-control, imminent, and will likely have severe effects on the child.
7. ​​​​​​​​​​Assesses if  the family has achieved their case plan objectives for both the family level objective (FLO), as well as the individual level objective (ILO); 
   
1. The FLO should address the safety threat(s) occurring in the home and the overall condition that brought the family to attention of the agency. 
2. The ILO should address the risk factors and individual behaviors occurring in the home. 
3. For OOHC cases, the Child Youth Action Plan accompanying the two objectives is also evaluated to capture the child’s progress towards case plan objectives. 
8. Assesses whether the child is at serious or imminent risk of placement in foster care (472(i)(2) of the Social Security Act-Redetermination for IV-E Candidate Claiming); 
1. Assessment for if the identified safety threat would require removal of the child and placement into OOHC. 
9. Outlines the services or case actions necessary to achieve the case plan objectives and case closure; and 
10. Submits the evaluation/assessment for supervisor approval. 
1. Upon submission of evaluation/assessment, it should be documented whether the case is to remain open for ongoing services or if case is suitable for closure. 
1. ​ When closing an ongoing case, in addition to the family case plan evaluation, the ongoing disposition must also be completed for case closure including the following documentation: 
1. Discussion and agreement with the family of the mutual agreement to close the case; 
2. If there is court involvement, the date the court was sent notice (at least fourteen (14) calendar days advance notice, in writing, of the intention to close the case); and 
3. The rationale for case closure: 
1. ​The safety threat(s) has been eliminated and risk factors have been reduced. The parent or guardian can protect and meet the needs of the child(ren). A child is assessed to be safe when there is no threat of danger within the family or home, or, if such a threat does exist, the family has sufficient protective capacities to protect the child and manage the threat; and 
2. The case planning objectives have been achieved.​​
4. A description of the community resources the family has been linked to in the aftercare plan.