Family Assessment and Safety Planning Flashcards

When conducting a family assessment, a child welfare worker should interview the alleged child victim in which setting whenever possible?

Answer: Alone in a private, child-friendly setting without the alleged perpetrator present

Children should be interviewed privately, without alleged perpetrators or other potentially influencing parties present, to ensure the child can speak freely and safely.

In assessing family strengths, which of the following represents a protective factor that reduces the risk of child maltreatment?

Answer: Parent has strong social support network and access to community resources

A strong social support network is a significant protective factor because it provides parents with emotional support, practical help, and connection to resources that reduce stress and isolation.

Which approach to family assessment emphasizes understanding the family's own definition of their problems and goals, building on their existing strengths?

Answer: Strengths-based assessment

Strengths-based assessment focuses on identifying and building upon existing family capacities, resources, and resilience rather than emphasizing deficits and pathology.

When a non-offending parent is unable to protect their child from an abusive partner, what should the child welfare worker assess?

Answer: The non-offending parent's own history of victimization, fear, and capacity to protect with support

Workers must assess the non-offending parent's own circumstances, including whether they are also a victim of domestic violence, their level of fear, and what support would enable them to protect the child.

What is the purpose of a family team meeting (also called family group conference or team decision making) in child welfare?

Answer: To bring together family members, supports, and professionals to collaboratively develop safety and case plans

Family team meetings engage the family's own network, formal supports, and professionals to collaboratively identify solutions, share information, and develop plans that have family buy-in.

In a child welfare home visit, which observation is MOST concerning and should be documented as a safety concern?

Answer: An infant is left unattended in an upstairs crib while the parent answers the door

An unattended infant left in a location where they cannot be monitored represents a direct safety concern related to supervision, which is a key indicator of neglect risk.