ANSA Risk & Safety Evaluation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: On the ANSA, a rating of '3' for Danger to Self indicates that the person:
- Has no current ideation but a history of attempts
- Has current ideation with a specific plan and means
- Requires immediate action due to imminent risk (Correct answer)
- Has passive ideation without intent or plan
Correct answer: Requires immediate action due to imminent risk
A rating of 3 on any ANSA risk item signals an immediate, actionable need requiring urgent intervention.
Question 2: When evaluating elopement risk on the ANSA, which factor most directly raises the rating level?
- History of running away more than five years ago
- Current intent to leave care combined with means to do so (Correct answer)
- Expressing dissatisfaction with the current placement
- Occasional verbal threats to leave without follow-through
Correct answer: Current intent to leave care combined with means to do so
Current intent combined with the capability to act on it escalates elopement risk to a higher rating requiring active planning.
Question 3: A practitioner notes that a client's caregiver is currently overwhelmed and unable to supervise safety needs. On the ANSA, this information is BEST captured under which domain?
- Caregiver Stress and Strain (Correct answer)
- Home Safety
- Danger to Others
- Social Functioning
Correct answer: Caregiver Stress and Strain
Caregiver Stress and Strain captures the caregiver's capacity to meet the individual's needs, including supervision for safety.
Question 4: Which ANSA rating for Sexually Abusive Behavior indicates the behavior is historical only and not currently actionable?
- Rating 0 — no evidence
- Rating 1 — history present but currently manageable (Correct answer)
- Rating 2 — behavior is causing significant disruption
- Rating 3 — immediate intervention required
Correct answer: Rating 1 — history present but currently manageable
A rating of 1 on the ANSA signifies that a need or history exists but is currently sufficiently managed and does not require new action.
Question 5: The ANSA principle of 'shared understanding' in risk assessment means:
- The clinician alone determines the final risk rating
- The individual and family must sign a waiver before ratings are assigned
- Ratings are developed collaboratively so the individual understands and agrees with the assessment (Correct answer)
- Risk ratings are shared only with the court or referring agency
Correct answer: Ratings are developed collaboratively so the individual understands and agrees with the assessment
Shared understanding is a core ANSA principle where the assessment process is transparent and collaborative with the individual being assessed.
Question 6: When scoring the ANSA domain of Victimization, which scenario would most likely receive a rating of '2'?
- A resolved traumatic event from childhood with no current symptoms
- Ongoing exploitation that the service system is actively addressing but not yet resolved (Correct answer)
- A first-disclosure of recent abuse requiring immediate protective action
- No evidence of any victimization history
Correct answer: Ongoing exploitation that the service system is actively addressing but not yet resolved
A rating of 2 indicates an actionable need that requires services or further intervention to address ongoing or unresolved concerns.
Question 7: On the ANSA, suicide risk and self-harm risk are:
- Combined into a single domain because they share the same intervention
- Assessed under the same item since both involve self-directed harm
- Typically rated as separate domains to distinguish intent to die from non-suicidal self-injury (Correct answer)
- Rated only by licensed clinical psychologists, not case managers
Correct answer: Typically rated as separate domains to distinguish intent to die from non-suicidal self-injury
The ANSA distinguishes between suicidal behavior (Danger to Self) and non-suicidal self-injury as separate domains because they have different clinical meanings and interventions.
ANSA Risk & Safety Evaluation 2
On the ANSA, a rating of '3' for Danger to Self indicates that the person: