DCFS - CERAP Definitions | Questions and Answers(A+ Solution guide)

Severity of the Behavior/Condition - the likely degree of harm involved children are subjugated 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 - means a serious threat of danger to a child's life or health, impairment to his or her physical or mental well-being or disfigurement. Immediate or in the Near Future - means that an incident can occur now in the very near future. ex. before the next department or contracted child welfare see a child, if no protective action is taken to ensure the child's safety. 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 - means any known or credibly alleged previous or on-going examples of an identified dangerous behavior/condition for which a caregiver is responsible. Mitigation - means family strengths or actions taken by caregivers on their own initiative that keeps children safe from identified safety threats. CFS 1441-A (Safety Plan) - a carbonized form intended to be completed by the investigator or worker in the home with copies left with primary caregiver and the person most responsible for carrying out the safety plan, if different than the child's primary caregiver. Safety Plan - not completed during investigations during of foster homes, residential facilities, schools, and day care facilities. Safety Plan - voluntary, temporary plan designed to control serious and immediate threats to children's term interventions deigned to be