CAASP Risk Assessment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which protective factor most directly reduces risk of psychiatric hospitalization for a child with behavioral health needs?
- High household income
- Strong family support and engagement (Correct answer)
- Access to private insurance
- Enrollment in a gifted program
Correct answer: Strong family support and engagement
Strong family support and engagement is consistently identified as a key protective factor that reduces hospitalization risk in CASSP-aligned systems.
Question 2: In CAASP risk assessment, a child who has made a specific plan for self-harm but has not yet acted is classified at which risk level?
- Low risk
- Moderate risk
- High risk (Correct answer)
- Imminent risk
Correct answer: High risk
The presence of a specific plan elevates the child to high risk, as it indicates intent beyond ideation alone.
Question 3: Which environmental factor is MOST associated with increased risk of out-of-home placement for youth in CASSP-based systems?
- Single-parent household
- Chronic school absences
- Repeated crisis episodes without community support (Correct answer)
- Diagnosis of ADHD
Correct answer: Repeated crisis episodes without community support
Repeated crises without adequate community-based support are the strongest predictor of out-of-home placement in CASSP frameworks.
Question 4: During a CAASP risk assessment, a clinician learns that a 14-year-old has access to firearms at home. This information should be treated as:
- A low-priority background factor
- An immediate lethal means concern requiring action (Correct answer)
- Only relevant if the youth has made prior attempts
- A parenting issue outside the clinical scope
Correct answer: An immediate lethal means concern requiring action
Access to lethal means such as firearms is an immediate safety concern that must be addressed regardless of prior attempt history.
Question 5: Which CASSP principle is most directly applied when a risk assessment team includes the child's teacher as a collaborating member?
- Community-based (Correct answer)
- Child-centered
- Culturally competent
- Least restrictive environment
Correct answer: Community-based
Including community stakeholders like teachers reflects the community-based principle of CASSP, which leverages natural community supports.
Question 6: A risk assessment tool that assigns numerical scores to factors like prior attempts, hopelessness, and substance use is best described as:
- A qualitative narrative assessment
- A structured or semi-structured actuarial tool (Correct answer)
- A diagnostic interview
- A behavioral observation checklist
Correct answer: A structured or semi-structured actuarial tool
Actuarial tools use scored risk factors to yield a quantified risk estimate, distinguishing them from purely narrative or observational methods.
Question 7: When a CAASP risk assessment reveals moderate risk for a youth, the MOST appropriate next step is typically:
- Immediate inpatient hospitalization
- Closing the case and scheduling a routine follow-up
- Developing an intensive community-based safety plan with the family (Correct answer)
- Referring exclusively to law enforcement
Correct answer: Developing an intensive community-based safety plan with the family
Moderate risk calls for an intensified safety plan developed collaboratively with the family and community supports, consistent with CASSP's least-restrictive principle.
CAASP Risk Assessment 2
Which protective factor most directly reduces risk of psychiatric hospitalization for a child with behavioral health needs?