When the social worker gets a report that your child is being abused or neglected, or may be abused or neglected, they make an assessment of the case within a few days. This means they ask questions, gather information, and decide if they need to keep looking into the report. The time this takes depends on the situation.
The social worker may refer the case of an Indigenous child to their First Nation, depending on whether the First Nation has an agreement with the ministry.
- Some cases end after a short assessment. The social worker may decide there’s no problem, and your child doesn’t need protection. They may not take action. Instead, they may refer your family to community support or offer voluntary support services.
- The social worker may decide a protection response is necessary. They may conduct a child protection investigation, which may include developing a family plan. The family plan says what help the social worker or community services can provide.
- If the social worker decides your child may not be safe, they have to investigate.
If a social worker investigates:
- they gather information, think about everything, and then decide about the best way to keep your child safe; and
- you can explain your situation to the social worker.
This is the time to respond to their concerns about your child’s safety and share how you can make sure your child is safe.
- You can make a safety plan to review with the social worker. See also When a social worker contacts you.
- You can also make a written agreement with the social worker to address the child protection concerns.