Abstract

When a household is investigated for maltreatment, workers use a list of safety risks to decide whether or not a child can stay there and how safe they are. Substance abuse and mental health issues among parents are well-known risk factors for placement outside the home. However, the majority of child welfare providers in the United States use a safety threat inventory that takes into account both substance abuse and parental mental health issues as distinct safety threats. Instead, safety decisions need to be accounted for by recording observable parent behaviors that immediately pose a threat to the safety of the child. It is essential that we determine which threats workers are documenting as evidence that these children are unsafe in the home because children of parents who struggle with mental health issues or substance abuse are more likely to be placed outside of their homes.