ORANGE COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY

CFS OPERATIONS MANUAL

Effective Date: December 6, 2006 Number: D-0311

Current Revision Date: October 7, 2016

Structured Decision Making

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Purpose To provide guidelines for the completion of Structured Decision

Making (SDM) tools and Orange County (OC) Safety Plans.
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Approved This policy was approved by Gary Taylor, Director of CFS, on

October 7, 2016. Signature on file.
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Most Recent This revision of the Policy and Procedure (P&P) incorporates
Revision Safety Organized Practice (SOP) concepts and SDM 3.0 into:

 OC Safety Plan (F063-25-453)

 OC SCP Safety Plan (F063-25-549)
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Background The California SDM Model brings structure and consistency to

each decision point in the child welfare system through the use of
evidence-based, objective, and comprehensive assessment tools.
SDM tools aid in the assessment of families and provide structured
response guidelines at specific decision points in the life of a case
ranging from a report to the Child Abuse Registry (CAR) through
the last service contact with Children and Family Services (CFS).

Orange County began using the California SDM Model in 1999 to:

 Provide structure for client interviews

 Assess major safety factors
 Promote consistency in decision making among staff
 Guide decisions to remove a child from the home based on
an analysis of safety threats and available interventions
 Facilitate the goal of maintaining children safely in their
homes whenever possible and appropriate
 Target resources on families most at risk

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  Facilitate the tracking of outcomes
 Identify training needs
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Definitions For the purpose of this P&P, the following definition applies:

Safety Organized Practice (SOP): An approach to day-to-day

child welfare casework that is designed to help key stakeholders
involved with a child (e.g., parents; extended family; child welfare
worker; supervisors and managers; lawyers; judges and other court
officials; and the child) to keep a clear focus on assessing and
enhancing child safety at all points in the case process.

This adapted approach integrates the best of Signs of Safety - a

strengths and solution-focused child welfare practice approach with
SDM (research based decision support assessments) to create a
rigorous and balanced child welfare practice model.

Safety Network: A group of family, friends, and professionals

involved with a child, communicating openly about harm/danger
concerns and who are willing to support the family and participate
in developing and implementing a plan to enhance child safety.
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POLICY
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SDM The California SDM Model utilizes a web-based application for tool
Application completion. SDM receives data from the Child Welfare
Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) and includes the
following tools:

 Hotline Tools (Screening Tool and Response Priority)

 Path Decision Tool (OC does not use)
 Safety Assessment
 Substitute Care Provider (SCP) Safety Assessment
 Risk Assessment
 Family Strengths and Needs Assessment
 Risk Reassessment (In-home cases)
 Reunification Reassessment

In addition, SDM includes:

 A user guide of how to navigate through the screens

 A policy manual on the proper usage of each tool
 Definitions utilized for each tool

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SDM Tools SDM tools will be completed in SDM at key decision making points
while a family is receiving child welfare services. SDM tools
require supervisory approval.

Note: Two county specific SDM-related tools, Orange County

(OC) Safety Plan (F063-25-453) and Orange County (OC) SCP
Safety Plan (F063-25-549) are located in hardcopy form in the CFS
Forms Room.

A. Hotline Tools:
 Screening Tool—Determines whether or not a referral
meets the statutory threshold for an in-person response
 Response Priority Tools—Determine how quickly to
respond for each type of abuse (neglect, physical
abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse)

Refer to CFS P&P Child Abuse Registry (CAR) (M-0109) for

guidelines for assessing child abuse and neglect allegations
and determining disposition, response time, and assignment
of child abuse reports.

B. Safety Assessment:
Provides information concerning the danger of immediate
harm/maltreatment to a child. Guides the decision of whether
a child may remain in the home with no intervention, remain in
the home with safety interventions, or must be protectively
placed. If a safety threat is identified, and a child can remain
in the home with safety interventions, see “OC Safety Plan”
Policy section for further direction.

Note: This tool is not used for allegations against out-of-

home caregivers (see section C. below, SCP Safety
Assessment).

C. SCP Safety Assessment:

Provides information concerning the danger of immediate
harm/maltreatment to a foster child by a SCP. Guides the
decision to remove a foster child from the SCP’s home based
on whether threats to safety are present and whether
interventions are available and appropriate to maintain
placement. If a safety threat is identified, and a foster child
can remain in the SCP’s home with safety interventions, see
“OC SCP Safety Plan” Policy section for further direction.

D. Risk Assessment:
Identifies families with low, moderate, high, or very high
probabilities of future abuse or neglect. Provides an objective

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 appraisal of the likelihood a family will abuse or neglect a child
in the home in the next 18 to 24 months. Allows for resources
targeted to higher risk families with the greater potential to
reduce subsequent maltreatment.

E. Family Strengths and Needs Assessment:

Evaluates the presenting strengths and critical family needs in
order to plan effective goals, objectives, and interventions in a
case plan.

F. Risk Reassessment (In home cases):

Evaluates a family’s progress toward case plan goals and
guides whether to keep a case open or close a case.

G. Reunification Reassessment:
Structures critical case management decisions for children in
placement who have a goal of reunification by:

 Monitoring critical case factors that affect goal

achievement
 Structuring the case review process
 Expediting permanency for children in substitute care

The Reunification Reassessment guides decision making to

return a child home, maintain out-of-home placement, and/or
terminate reunification services and implement a permanency
alternative.

For specific information on the purpose of each tool, when to use

each tool, and the programs responsible for completion, see
Attachment 5—SDM Tools.

Program-specific tool completion guides are summarized in the

following attachments:

 Attachment 1—SDM Completion Guidelines—Emergency

Response
 Attachment 2—SDM Completion Guidelines—Family
Maintenance Collaborative Services (FMCS)
 Attachment 3—SDM Completion Guidelines—Court
Services and Specialized Family Services (SFS)
Investigations
 Attachment 4—SDM Completion Guidelines—Continuing
Family Services (ICS, PSP, SFS Continuing, VFS)

Program-specific procedural guidelines are detailed in Attachment

6—SDM Process Guidelines.

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Overrides The Hotline Tools, Risk Assessment, and Reunification
Reassessment allow overrides of the decision, risk level, or support
level.

There are two types of overrides:

A. Policy Overrides:
When specific conditions pre-determined by CFS exist, a
change in the tools finding is mandatory.

B. Discretionary Overrides:
Used when a Senior Social Worker (SSW) obtains information
not captured in the tool or unique circumstances exist that
suggest a change in the tool’s finding is appropriate.

CFS staff will read each override option carefully, as overrides

differ for each tool and may allow for:

 An increase or decrease in the response time of a referral

 An increase or decrease in the risk level assigned to a family
 A change in the permanency plan for a child

OC Safety Safety plans allow for clear documentation of reasonable efforts to

Plan maintain a child safely in the home. CFS staff must complete an
OC Safety Plan (F063-25-453) when each of the following
conditions apply:

 A safety threat is identified in a SDM Safety Assessment

 A safety intervention is specified in a SDM Safety
Assessment
 A child will be left in the home

OC Safety Plan (F063-25-453) will be:

 Completed before the child is left in the home

 Designed to address specific, immediate safety threat(s)
identified
 Completed in the family’s declared primary language, if
available
 Developed in collaboration with the family (e.g., parents,
children, adults fulfilling a parental role, and extended family
members) as available and appropriate
 Signed and dated by parents or legal guardians
 Provided to parent or legal guardian

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 Contents of OC Safety Plan (F063-25-453) will:

 Be written in simple, easily understood terms

 Be reasonable, achievable, time specific, and service
specific
 Identify a follow-up mechanism to ensure completion of
clearly identified activities and safety threats are mitigated

Members of the safety network will be encouraged to contact CFS

staff immediately, if:

 Assistance is needed with any aspect of the plan

 There are concerns regarding the safety or well being of the
child

In addition, the following guidelines apply:

A. CFS staff will follow up with the family according to time

frames agreed upon in the plan to assess whether identified
safety threats are being mitigated and the plan is being
complied with.

B. CFS staff will seek supervisor consultation regarding the

appropriateness of an OC Safety Plan while in the home.

If supervisor contact is successful, modify the plan as

necessary and use the Telephonic approval of Safety Plan
check box.

If supervisor consultation is unsuccessful while in the home:

 Inform family that supervisor approval must be

obtained, and the OC Safety Plan (F063-25-453) is
subject to change
 Supervisor consultation and approval will be obtained
by phone or in person within one business day of the
development of the OC Safety Plan

C. Supervisors will review safety plans for accurate and thorough

completion and provide signature approval within seven
calendar days of the SSW’s development and review of the
OC Safety Plan with the family.

If OC Safety Plan (F063-25-453) is revised after consultation

with supervisor, CFS staff will meet with the family again, as
soon as possible, to review the changes.

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 D. If parent, legal guardian, or age-appropriate child refuses to:

 Sign an OC Safety Plan (F063-25-453), –or–

 Implement a previously agreed upon plan, –or–
 Develop a safety plan

CFS staff will evaluate whether or not the refusal to sign

jeopardizes the child's safety. The need for and use of other
protective interventions may be considered as outlined in CFS
P&P Abuse Investigations—Protective Interventions (A-0414).

If it appears a parent or legal guardian will be protective

despite refusal to sign an OC Safety Plan (F063-25-453), a
child may be left in the home and the referral or case may be
closed as appropriate. Indicate “refused to sign” on signature
line.

CFS staff will document a parent’s or legal guardian’s reason

for refusal to sign an OC Safety Plan (F063-25-453) under the
“Safety Plan” heading within the Investigation Narrative, in
CWS/CMS Contact Narratives, and appropriate Court
Reports.

Note: If parents or legal guardians refuse voluntary services,

after previously agreeing to accept services as part of an
initial safety plan, the assigned SSW will reassess the child’s
safety in the home and complete a new OC Safety Plan
(F063-25-453) if necessary.

E. A child will not be left in a home, when an active safety threat

exists and no safety intervention has been implemented that
mitigates the imminent risk to the child.

F. If domestic violence is a threat in the home or there is a

current restraining order against one of the parents or legal
guardians, CFS staff will meet separately with each parent or
legal guardian to develop and sign an OC Safety Plan (F063-
25-453).

G. CFS staff will summarize the parameters and outcome of

safety plans developed with a family under the “Safety Plan”
heading within the Investigation Narratives, in CWS/CMS
Contact Narratives, and appropriate Court Reports.
Documentation will address:

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  Whether the safety plan was developed in collaboration
or agreement with parent or legal guardian
 Parameters of the safety plan
 Parental signature or refusal to sign
 Whether a copy of Safety Plan was provided to the
parent/legal guardian
 Date of supervisor consultation regarding
appropriateness of the safety plan

H. CFS staff will include the approved OC Safety Plan (F063-25-

453) with the referral packet submitted to the SSSS at the
conclusion of the ER investigation.

A copy will be included in the ER Referral packet for the

program where the referral will be assigned upon promotion to
a case, as applicable.

I. The assigned SSW on an Open Case will follow-up on any

safety plan actions outlined in OC Safety Plan (F063-25-453),
as applicable.

OC SCP Safety plans completed with out-of-home care providers allow for
Safety Plan clear documentation of reasonable efforts to maintain a foster child
safely in a SCP home. CFS staff must complete an OC SCP
Safety Plan (F063-25-549) when each of the following conditions
apply:

 A safety threat is identified in a SDM SCP Safety

Assessment
 A safety intervention is specified in a SDM SCP Safety
Assessment
 A foster child will be left in the SCP’s home

SCP’s include:

 Resource Families
 Relatives
 Non-relative extended family members (NREFMs)
 Licensed foster parents
o Certified foster family agency (FFA) providers
o Small family homes
o Adoptive parent if the adoption has not yet been
finalized
o Legal guardians where dependency remains open

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 OC SCP Safety Plan (F063-25-549) will be:

 Completed before the foster child is left in the home

 Designed to address specific, immediate safety threat(s)
identified
 Completed in the SCP’s declared language, if available
 Developed in collaboration with the SCP’s family (e.g., care
provider, children, and extended family members) as
available and appropriate
 Signed and dated by the parent or legal guardian
 Provided to parent or legal guardian
 Shared with the assigned SSW within two business days
o If the assigned SSW is not available, contact the
assigned SSW’s SSSS or back-up SSSS

Contents of OC SCP Safety Plan (F063-25-549) will:

 Be written in simple, easily understood terms

 Be reasonable, achievable, time specific, and service
specific
 Identify a follow-up mechanism to ensure completion of
clearly identified activities and safety threats or concerns are
mitigated

Members of the safety network will be encouraged to contact CFS

staff immediately, if:

 Assistance is needed with any aspect of the plan

 There are concerns regarding the safety or well being of the
child

In addition, the following guidelines apply:

A. CFS staff will follow up with the SCP according to time frames
agreed upon in the plan to assess whether identified safety
threats are being mitigated and the plan is being complied
with.

B. CFS staff will seek supervisor consultation regarding the

appropriateness of an OC SCP Safety Plan while in the home.

If supervisor contact successful, modify the plan as necessary

and use the Telephonic approval of Safety Plan check box.

If supervisor consultation is unsuccessful while in the home:

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  Inform SCP that supervisor approval must be obtained
and the OC SCP Safety Plan (F063-25-549) is subject
to change
 Supervisor consultation and approval will be obtained
by phone or in person within one business day of the
development of the OC SCP Safety Plan

C. Supervisors will review safety plans for accurate and thorough

completion and provide signature approval within seven
calendar days of the SSW’s development and review of the
OC SCP Safety Plan with the family.

If OC SCP Safety Plan (F063-25-549) is revised after

consultation with supervisor, CFS staff will meet with the SCP
again, as soon as possible, to review the changes.

D. If a SCP or foster child refuses to sign an OC SCP Safety

Plan (F063-25-549) or to implement a previously agreed upon
plan, or to develop a plan to mitigate one or more identified
safety threats, CFS staff will:

 Assess the reason for refusal or lack of implementation

 Seek supervisor consultation
 Consider other protective interventions pursuant to the
following CFS P&Ps:
o Abuse Investigations—Foster Care (A-0101)
o Abuse Investigations—Open Case (A-0402)
o Abuse Investigations—Protective Interventions
(A-0414)

E. A foster child will not be left in a placement home when an

active safety threat exists and no safety intervention has been
implemented that mitigates the imminent risk to the foster
child. This includes an SCP’s unwillingness or inability to
comply with a safety plan.

F. CFS staff will summarize the parameters and outcome of SCP

safety plans developed with out-of-home care providers under
the “Safety Plan” heading within the Investigation Narrative
and in Contact Narratives. Documentation will address:

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  Whether the safety plan was developed in collaboration
or agreement with SCP
 Parameters of the safety plan
 Whether a copy of the Safety Plan was provided to the
SCP
 Date of supervisor consultation regarding
appropriateness of the safety plan

G. CFS staff will include the approved OC SCP Safety Plan

(F063-25-549) with the referral packet submitted to the
supervisor at the conclusion of the ER investigation.

H. CFS staff or designee will send a copy of the OC SCP Safety

Plan (F063-25-549) to:

 Assigned SSW for victim child

 Applicable or Assigned RFA Supervisor

I. Assigned SSW on Open Case will follow-up, as necessary, on

actions outlined in the OC SCP Safety Plan (F063-25-549), as
applicable.

Supervisor Senior Social Services Supervisors (SSSSs) will monitor the

Oversight and consistent and timely completion of all appropriate SDM tools, OC
Approval Safety Plans (F063-25-453), and OC SCP Safety Plans (F063-25-
549). SDM tool assistance in referral and case decision making
may be discussed in case conferences and case reviews.

SSSSs will approve or modify SDM tools within 30 calendar days of

the date the tool is submitted for approval, with the following
exceptions:

 CAR SSSSs will modify and/or approve the SDM Hotline

Tool when the hard copy is received. For additional
details, refer to CFS P&P Child Abuse Registry (CAR)
(M-0109)

 SSSSs will review and approve a SDM Safety

Assessment within seven calendar days of the date the
tool is submitted for approval

 For cases, SSSSs will approve SDM tools prior to or on

the same day as electronic case plan approval within
CWS/CMS

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 SSSSs and SSWs may use the Safe Measures Application to
monitor compliance of SDM tool completion. The Safe Measures
application includes an instruction manual.

Documentatio A. Filing:
n
 ER: Safety Plans are filed in the CAR/ER File
 Case: Any printed SDM tools and Safety Plans are
filed on SDM Acco (F063-25-1122)
 RFA Supervisor: SCP Safety Plan are filed in the
RFA file

B. CWS/CMS:
SDM data will be incorporated under the “Safety and Risk
Assessments” heading of Investigation Narratives and in
CWS/CMS Contact Narratives. Factual elements from each
tool (i.e., the identified safety threat, risk factor, strength, or
final risk level) will be included.

C. Court Reports:
SDM data will be incorporated into court reports without
identifying actual tools. Factual elements from each tool (i.e.,
the identified safety threat, risk factor, strength, or final risk
level) will be included in appropriate sections of the court
report.
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REFERENCES
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Attachments Hyperlinks are provided below to access attachments to this P&P

and CWS/CMS and any CWS/CMS Data Entry Standards that are referenced.
Data Entry
Standards  Attachment 1—SDM Completion Guidelines—Emergency
Response
 Attachment 2—SDM Completion Guidelines—Family
Maintenance Collaborative Services (FMCS)
 Attachment 3—SDM Completion Guidelines—Court
Services and Specialized Family Services (SFS)
Investigations
 Attachment 4—SDM Completion Guidelines—Continuing
Family Services (ICS, PSP, SFS Continuing, VFS)
 Attachment 5—SDM Tools
 Attachment 6—SDM Process Guidelines

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 ____________________________________________________________________

Hyperlinks Users accessing this document by computer may create a direct

connection to the following references by clicking on the link
provided.

 CFS P&P Child Abuse Registry (CAR) (M-0109)

 CFS P&P Abuse Investigations—Protective Interventions (A-
0414)
 CFS P&P Abuse Investigations—Foster Care (A-0101)
 CFS P&P Abuse Investigations—Open Case (A-0402)
 Safe Measures
 California SDM Application
 California SDM Definitions
 California SDM Mobile App Definitions
 Orange County Safety Organized Practice
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Other Sources Other printed references include the following:

None.
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FORMS
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Online Forms Forms listed below may be printed out and completed, or
completed online, and may be accessed by clicking on the link
provided.

Form Name Form Number

California Hotline Tools Via SDM
Step I Screening Via SDM
Step II Response Priority Via SDM
California Safety Assessment Via SDM
California SCP Safety Assessment Via SDM
California Family Risk Assessment Via SDM
California Family Strengths and Needs Via SDM
Assessment (For Caregivers and Children)
California Family Risk Reassessment for In- Via SDM
Home Cases
California Reunification Reassessment Via SDM

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 ____________________________________________________________________

Hard Copy Forms that may be completed in hard copy (including multi-copy
Forms NCR forms) are listed below. For reference purposes only, links
are provided to view these hard copy forms, where available.

Form Name Form Number

SDM Acco F063-25-1122
Orange County Safety Plan (English) F063-25-453
Orange County Safety Plan (Spanish) F063-25-453Sp
Orange County Safety Plan (Vietnamese) F063-25-453VN
Orange County Substitute Care Provider F063-25-549
(SCP) Safety Plan (English)
Orange County Substitute Care Provider F063-25-549Sp
(SCP) Safety Plan (Spanish)
Orange County Substitute Care Provider F063-25-549VN
(SCP) Safety Plan (Vietnamese)
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CWS/CMS Forms that may only be obtained in CWS/CMS are listed below.
Forms For reference purposes only, links are provided to view these
CWS/CMS forms, where available.

Form Name Form Number

None.
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Brochures Brochures to distribute in conjunction with this policy may include:

Brochure Name Brochure Number

None.
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LEGAL MANDATES
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Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) §10601.2 mandates counties to conduct self
assessments, cases reviews, and develop system improvement plans, which resulted
in the implementation of a statewide safety assessment approach for evaluating and
managing child safety.

California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Manual of Policies and Procedures

(MPP), Division 31, Chapter 125 outlines the emergency response investigation
requirements to include the determination of safety and risk to a child.

CDSS MMP, Division 31, Chapter 201 describes the assessment and case planning
process to include the completion of an assessment and identification of service
needs.

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CDSS All County Letter (ACL) 09-31 provides guidance on the consistent and
accurate use of standardized safety and risk assessment tools for each child receiving
child welfare services in all California counties.

CDSS All County Information Notice (ACIN) I-62-16 provides information regarding
enhancements made on November 1, 2015 to the Structured Decision Making®
(SDM®) assessment tools.
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REVISION HISTORY
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Since the Effective Date of this P&P, and prior to the Current Revision Date, the
following revisions of this P&P were published:

November 15, 2007

May 3, 2012
July 16, 2014
April 9, 2015

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