Voluntary safety plans can help families stay together when safety concerns arise. But without clear time limits, families may feel coerced into following a plan indefinitely out of fear their child will be removed. This creates "hidden foster care" that undermines family autonomy.

Set time limits on voluntary safety plans and schedule regular reviews to end or reassess the agency's involvement.

How to do this

Set a policy requiring time limits. Create a policy that voluntary safety plans made to keep children from entering foster care must have a specific timeframe.

Track plan dates in your system. Make sure there's a way in your IT system, or a reliable workaround method, to keep track of plan dates. Set up reminders far enough in advance to avoid last-minute planning emergencies. The timeframe for reminders depends on your jurisdiction's capacity to plan and schedule meetings. For example, if it takes an average of 3 weeks to schedule this kind of meeting, your reminder should be at least a month before expiration.

This strategy in action

Oklahoma's Family Centered Services is offered to families to help children and families stay together after an investigation has identified safety concerns. They limit these plans to 6 months. If a child has to go to a voluntary out-of-home placement, the goal is to move to an in-home safety plan within 60 days. If the out-of-home placement is expected to last more than 90 days, it requires higher levels of approval.