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Risk Screening (Stage 1)

Stage 1- Risk screening of all cases routinely for concerns about significant harm.

  • The screening question is very simple, 'Do you have any concerns that indicate a risk of significant harm?'
  • Screening can be integrated into several processes, including case supervision.  Screening provides an opportunity to review all cases, routinely.

Routine screening of cases to check if there are any concerns about significant harm, is the first step in the Risk Model.  It has been integrated into several processes, including case supervision.  Screening provides an opportunity to review cases, asking whether at that moment in time if there are any concerns about significant harm.  If concerns are identified, it provides a trigger to decide if any further enquiries are warranted at that time.  Such further actions could include progressing to a Risk Assessment (Stage 2).

Screening is a simple process that can be done routinely.   

In supervision it is a time effective way of undertaking checks across a worker’s caseload.  It ensures that all cases are routinely screened in supervision, not just those high risk cases that are foremost in the mind.  It also ensures that low level concerns that have been present for a long time are not overlooked.   

In Statutory Reviews it ensures that children in care are not at risk of significant harm in their placement.  

The screening question is very simple. “Do you have any concerns that indicate a risk of significant harm?”

The result of risk screening is recorded.  Some Authorities record individual case screening separately in a child’s case record, whilst other implementations adopt a record of the whole caseload screening activity.  

Often, child protection procedures require either a significant event to initiate procedures or an external trigger such as a referral of concern.  External referrals prompt a consideration of information submitted and a consideration of risk of significant harm.  However, in the absence of external triggers or serious events the aggregation of concerns over time can be overlooked or tolerated.  Risk screening guards against this.       

Risk screening is considered the most important part of the Risk Model.  However, its simplicity and importance is often overlooked when compared to the more comprehensive format of the Stage 2 Risk Assessment.