Core Signs of Safety Tools and Techniques

Sexual Abuse Pregnant Teenager and Self Harm

Danger Statement, Safety Goal and Safety Scale

07 Dec 2016

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Language

• English

Danger Statement for Polly

Sharron and Hannah, CPS social workers, are very worried about Polly because it seems like she is often very unhappy and she does things like:

• Threatening to attack or hurt others like threatening to slit their throats
• Hurting and cutting herself and having times when she wishes she was dead
• Being in relationships with guys where Polly seems to get hurt and abused more than loved
• Putting herself at risk by having unprotected sex

Polly has also recently told the GP that her dad Darrell has sexually abused her touching her on and under her underpants. When any young woman is behaving in the hurt and angry ways Polly is, professionals know that it's pretty likely that the young woman has seen some very abusive and violent things happen and has been badly abused and hurt herself.

Sharron and Hannah are worried that Polly is acting out all the hurt that is inside her from being abused by Darrell and others and from seeing really abusive and violent things happening and think that unless we can get to the bottom of this and talk about what has happened for Polly, she's going to keep doing or being caught up in really dangerous situations where she could hurt others like her baby or siblings and/or could get hurt herself or even die.

Safety Goal for Polly

Sharron and Hannah, CPS social workers, can see that Polly is a super-smart young woman and loves and wants to keep her baby. For Sharron and Hannah to be able to support Polly having baby with her when baby is born, they need Polly to bring together a group of family and friends she chooses that can support her. Together with those people, Sharron and Hannah will lead conversations about what's happened in the past that has made Polly's life such a mess that she hates herself and her life. These conversations need to include talking about what Darrell did and might have done to Polly. Once these things are able to be discussed, Sharron and Hannah will ask questions so that Polly and the people supporting her can together make a plan with straightforward rules about who will do what, when Polly is hating herself and her life so that she and everyone around her, including new baby, can stay safe.

Safety Scale for Polly

On a scale of 0 to 10 where 10 is Polly and everyone around her know that Polly and the people she has chosen to support her can help and support her even when she is thinking horrible things, remembering the horrible things that have happened to her or she has seen and feels like she could get out of control and is starting to think about killing herself that everyone knows who will do what so baby will be safe and Polly can get back on track, to 0 which means everyone that knows and loves Polly, but has no idea who will do what when Polly gets down, hating others and herself and everyone is worried Polly could end up hurt, hurting others and new baby could end up hurt too, where would you rate the situation today?