Harm and Danger Statements

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When working with families our ultimate goal is for the children to be safe in the home with the parents.  To achieve this goal we need the parent and the worker to have a shared understanding of the specific caregivers action that are creating danger in the home (what the care giver did or did not do) and the resulting impact on the child.

Completing a well-written and rigorous safety plan with a family is a very challenging process. It is a skill that requires a lot of practice, time and support to master. One skill that can support the worker and the family in this work, is knowing how to write ‘harm’ and ‘danger’ statements.

Harm helps us look at PAST actions by a caregiver to a child that hurt the child physically, emotionally, or development.

DANGER speaks to credible concerns that child welfare or members of the child’s community have about the caregiver’s FUTURE actions that may harm the child.

It is important to remember that HARM and DANGER statements are written with clear details, and not judgements. There is a helpful format for writing these statements that has been provided by the Children’s Research Center.

Harm Statement:

It was reported that…(caregiver) did/didn’t…..and as a result, the child was hurt or became ill, or could have become hurt or ill.

E.g., It was reported (or) RCMP reported that Adam's dad, Matt, hit Adam last night on the face and back, leaving multiple bruises on both parts of his body and requiring Adam to get medical care at the local E.R.

Danger Statement:

The agency and (others) are all worried that is (caregiver) does/doesn’t…..the child could be hurt, get sick, be unsupervised ect.

E.g., The agency, the RCMP, and Adam's mom, Tonya, are worried that Adam's dad, Matt, may hit Adam again, leaving him with more bruises and even more severe serious injuries.

Danger statements help the agency answer two very important questions, what is the agency most worried will happen to the child if nothing else changes, as well as, when or in what context are they most worried this could take place. This is a starting place for building and creating safety in the home, by helping caregivers see what actions of protection look like and how they can create a safe home for their children.

A strategy for building this skill within your team or with your own practice, is to try writing harm and danger statements in a staff meeting, or with your own cases, using the format above. You can then try writing the statement with your families, once you feel more comfortable with it. These are not easy statements to develop, so make sure you use your coworkers as support, or call the SFNFCI SDM consultants to help you out at 306-373-2874.

You can also reach us by email at:

Laura Hicks: Laura@sfnfci.ca

Rachel Melymick: Rachel@sfnfci.ca