CERAP PRACTICE EXAM
Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol (CERAP) - "Life-of-the case" protocol
designed to provide workers with a mechanism for quickly assessing the potential for
moderate to severe harm immediately or in the near future and for taking quick action to
protect children
CERAP is a ____________________ assessment only - Familial
Any child safety threats identified in CERAP must...... - Be incorporated into the SACWIS
Family Service Plan
Severity of the Behavior/Condition - The likely degree of harm involved children are
subjected to by a behavior/condition that is the responsibility of a caregiver. This degree of
harm can range from low to moderate to severe
Moderate to Severe Harm - A serious threat of danger to a child's life or health, impairment
to his or her physical or mental well-being, or disfigurement
Immediately or in the Near Future - An incident can occur now or in the very near future
I.e., before the next time department or contracted child welfare staff see a child, if no
protective action is taken to ensure the child's safety
Risk - The likelihood of any degree of longer-term future harm/maltreatment (low to
severe degree of harm)
-It does not predict when the future harm might occur, but rather the likelihood of it
happening at all
Risk and Safety are.... - Interchangeable and both can change very quickly
Is Risk a subset of Safety or is Safety a subset of Risk - Safety is a subset of Risk
Similarities between Safety and Risk - -Both concerned with future harm
-Both relate to conditions of: Home environment & Caretaker, family member, or paramour
behavior
-Both can change quickly
-Both can be controlled
Caretaker - Anyone who impacts the child's safety in the home
Child Vulnerability - Any characteristic, condition, or behavior affecting a child that
substantially increases the child's susceptibility to the dangerous behavior of a caregiver or
a dangerous condition within the home
, History - Any known or credibly alleged previous or on-going examples of an identified
dangerous behavior/condition for which a caregiver is responsible
Mitigation - Family strengths or action taken by the caregivers on their own initiative that
keeps children safe from identified safety threats
Paramour - A current ex-boyfriend or girlfriend who has been or may be or is in a care-
taking role.
-The paramour may or may not be residing within the family unit
-Paramour involved families may be identified at the time of intake, during a child abuse or
neglect investigation or anytime during the life of an open service case
-A putative father would fall under the definition of paramour
Prevention Services - Non-investigatory services directed to preserving families where
children remain in their home without a threat to their safety.
-Prevention services can take the form of providing families with
neighborhood/community linkages and advocacy services on a voluntary/self-referral
basis
-They may also include, but are not limited to, court ordered services such as assessments
and visitation orders from Marriage and Dissolution court
Safe - After considering all reasonably available information/evidence concerning the
presence of each of the 16 potential safety threats, and taking into account the vulnerability
of the child, and considering the caregiver(s)'s displayed ability/action to mitigate any
identified threats, it is determined that a child in the household or in custodial care is not
likely to be moderated or severely harmed immediately or in the near future
Safety Plan - Voluntary, temporary, short-term plan designed to control serious and
immediate threats to children's safety as a result of an unsafe finding on the CERAP.
-Safety Plans can take a variety of forms and are developed with the input and voluntary
consent of the children's legal caregivers and other family members
-Safety plans are typically short term environmental manipulations to ensure child safety;
they are not interventions designed to change behaviors over the long term
When Are Safety Plans Not Completed - During investigations of foster homes, residential
facilities, schools or day care facilities
CFS 1441-A (Safety Plan) - Carbonized form intended to be completed by the investigator
or worker in the home with copies left with the primary caregiver and the person most
responsible for carrying out the safety plan, if different than the child's primary caregiver
Unsafe - After considering all reasonably available information/evidence concerning the
presence of each of the 16 potential safety threats, and taking into account the vulnerability
of the child, and considering the caregiver(s)'s displayed ability/action to mitigate any
identified threats, it is determined that a child in a household or in custodial care is likely to
be moderately or severely harmed immediately or in the near future.
Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol (CERAP) - "Life-of-the case" protocol
designed to provide workers with a mechanism for quickly assessing the potential for
moderate to severe harm immediately or in the near future and for taking quick action to
protect children
CERAP is a ____________________ assessment only - Familial
Any child safety threats identified in CERAP must...... - Be incorporated into the SACWIS
Family Service Plan
Severity of the Behavior/Condition - The likely degree of harm involved children are
subjected to by a behavior/condition that is the responsibility of a caregiver. This degree of
harm can range from low to moderate to severe
Moderate to Severe Harm - A serious threat of danger to a child's life or health, impairment
to his or her physical or mental well-being, or disfigurement
Immediately or in the Near Future - An incident can occur now or in the very near future
I.e., before the next time department or contracted child welfare staff see a child, if no
protective action is taken to ensure the child's safety
Risk - The likelihood of any degree of longer-term future harm/maltreatment (low to
severe degree of harm)
-It does not predict when the future harm might occur, but rather the likelihood of it
happening at all
Risk and Safety are.... - Interchangeable and both can change very quickly
Is Risk a subset of Safety or is Safety a subset of Risk - Safety is a subset of Risk
Similarities between Safety and Risk - -Both concerned with future harm
-Both relate to conditions of: Home environment & Caretaker, family member, or paramour
behavior
-Both can change quickly
-Both can be controlled
Caretaker - Anyone who impacts the child's safety in the home
Child Vulnerability - Any characteristic, condition, or behavior affecting a child that
substantially increases the child's susceptibility to the dangerous behavior of a caregiver or
a dangerous condition within the home
, History - Any known or credibly alleged previous or on-going examples of an identified
dangerous behavior/condition for which a caregiver is responsible
Mitigation - Family strengths or action taken by the caregivers on their own initiative that
keeps children safe from identified safety threats
Paramour - A current ex-boyfriend or girlfriend who has been or may be or is in a care-
taking role.
-The paramour may or may not be residing within the family unit
-Paramour involved families may be identified at the time of intake, during a child abuse or
neglect investigation or anytime during the life of an open service case
-A putative father would fall under the definition of paramour
Prevention Services - Non-investigatory services directed to preserving families where
children remain in their home without a threat to their safety.
-Prevention services can take the form of providing families with
neighborhood/community linkages and advocacy services on a voluntary/self-referral
basis
-They may also include, but are not limited to, court ordered services such as assessments
and visitation orders from Marriage and Dissolution court
Safe - After considering all reasonably available information/evidence concerning the
presence of each of the 16 potential safety threats, and taking into account the vulnerability
of the child, and considering the caregiver(s)'s displayed ability/action to mitigate any
identified threats, it is determined that a child in the household or in custodial care is not
likely to be moderated or severely harmed immediately or in the near future
Safety Plan - Voluntary, temporary, short-term plan designed to control serious and
immediate threats to children's safety as a result of an unsafe finding on the CERAP.
-Safety Plans can take a variety of forms and are developed with the input and voluntary
consent of the children's legal caregivers and other family members
-Safety plans are typically short term environmental manipulations to ensure child safety;
they are not interventions designed to change behaviors over the long term
When Are Safety Plans Not Completed - During investigations of foster homes, residential
facilities, schools or day care facilities
CFS 1441-A (Safety Plan) - Carbonized form intended to be completed by the investigator
or worker in the home with copies left with the primary caregiver and the person most
responsible for carrying out the safety plan, if different than the child's primary caregiver
Unsafe - After considering all reasonably available information/evidence concerning the
presence of each of the 16 potential safety threats, and taking into account the vulnerability
of the child, and considering the caregiver(s)'s displayed ability/action to mitigate any
identified threats, it is determined that a child in a household or in custodial care is likely to
be moderately or severely harmed immediately or in the near future.
