Effectiveness of Child Protection Strategies?

When it comes to managing child protection issues, there are basically two plans or strategies that are used; an immediate protective strategy and a formal plan for the continuation of safety. The protective plan is put to use when there is some type of imminent and present danger to a child, which is normally ascertained at the initial meeting with the child’s family. Once the danger has been acknowledged, CPS (Child Protection Service) puts other activities during the intervention, including the assessment, on hold so that they can put the immediate protection option into use. Once the danger has been identified, CPS has the responsibility of assuring the child’s safety while intervention continues. The immediate protection strategy should have certain elements and they should be documented in a child abuse report.

The formal safety strategy will usually happen during or at the end of the first assessment, after all of the pertinent family information has been taken and analyzed. This formal plan is written on a document and it helps to recognize any foreseeable dangers; it lists child safety products, services and childcare providers.

The biggest difference between the two plans is that the immediate protective strategy takes effect with only a limited amount of information about the child and family, which was gathered during the first encounter. However, the formal child protection strategy does not occur until full and complete information on the child and the family has been documented.

Some feel that there should be additional provisions added to the ones already in use. They believe that safety care management and intervention should be provisional; that it should refer to specific actions and arrangements that CPS may take at the present time based upon current threats to the child’s safety, or if there is not a sufficient childcare provider available to ensure protection.

In this type of arrangement, the provisional means of caring for the child would stay in place, while searching for a better permanent arrangement. According to some at the Child Protection Service, this would entail giving protective responsibility to child care providers with child protection training. Or, they may explore different permanency options outside of the child’s home and family.