​Plans of Safe Care

A Plan of Safe Care (POSC) lists and directs services and supports to ensure the safety and well-being of a substance-affected infant (SAI) and their caregivers. Plans of Safe Care differ from other safety or family service plans by including services for the infant and their substance affected caregiver(s).  

The Pennsylvania Departments of Health (DOH), Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), and Human Services (DHS) have worked collaboratively with the members of the Multi-Disciplinary Workgroup on Infants with Substance Exposure (MDWISE) to develop the POSC guidance for county children and youth agencies and other county level service providers. Statutory requirements outlined by federal 2017 Program Instruction (ACYF-CB-PI-17-02) and Pennsylvania Act 54 dictate that a POSC is initiated by a medical professional when they identify, based on standards of professional practice, an infant (up to 12 months old) born affected by prenatal substance exposure including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Upon identification of an SAI, the medical professional is required to make a notification to ChildLine and to arrange for the initial POSC multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting. POSC go beyond the immediate safety factors of an infant by addressing their ongoing health, development, and well-being as well as the treatment and other service needs of their caregiver(s). 

Developing an individualized POSC for SAIs and caregivers requires intentional collaboration across multiple systems to ensure both the safety and well-being of the child and address the health and substance use disorder treatment needs of the family or caregiver. If at any time there is concern for the SAIs' safety, a child protective services or general protective services referral may be made to ChildLine. Such a referral will initiate additional assessment or investigation by the county children and youth agency.

• Read the Pennsylvania Plan of Safe Care Guidance
  
• Read the Plans of Safe Care FAQ
  

Resources

Infant Development

• Center on the Developing Child — Harvard University
  
• Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Fast Facts 
  
• The Importance of Early Bonding on the Long-Term Mental Health Resilience of Children
• Zero to Three
  

Legislation and Policy/Procedure

• POSC Support Session for County Teams — Video | Powerpoint
  
• Allegheny County POSC Video 
  
• Lehigh County POSC Brochure
• Medication Assisted Treatment
  
• PA Human Services Integrated Release of Information Form
  
• PA Physical Health Clinical Workflow
  
• POSC Legislative Fast Facts
  
• POSC Template — PDF  | Microsoft Word
  
• State Responses to POSC
  
• Substance Affected Infant Notification Flowchart
  
• National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare Learning Modules
  
• Wayne County POSC Brochure
  

Contact Us

For any questions related to Act 54, Pennsylvania’s Plans of Safe Care Guidance and implementation, email RA-PWPLANSOFSAFECARE@pa.gov.

 Suspect Child Abuse? Call Childline: 1-800-932-0313