What factors does an FPS practitioner consider in assessing the safety of a child in his/her home?
The FPS worker considers the child’s age, the severity and frequency of abuse or neglect, previous history of abuse or neglect, stresses within the household and the caregiver’s intellectual and emotional capacities. Other factors include: the family support system, the likelihood of cooperation by family members, the immediacy of the risk of maltreatment and its likely recurrence. Some home environments are simply too threatening to the welfare of the child. FPS is concerned not only with the physical safety of the child in the home, but also with his/her emotional well-being. Therefore, the FPS practitioner weighs the potential harm of a child remaining in the home with the potential psychological damage of separating the child from his/her family.
