A Plan of Safe Care (PoSC) serves as a vital document, acting as a roadmap to connect infants exposed to substances before birth with necessary services and support systems. These plans are essentially a collection of Safe Care Tools designed to safeguard the infant’s health and overall well-being. By coordinating services for the entire family, PoSCs ensure timely access to a comprehensive continuum of care. This proactive approach minimizes obstacles to accessing crucial support, ultimately leading to improved outcomes for both the infant and the mother, while also facilitating the identification of the family’s broader needs and engagement with appropriate services.
The specific components of a Plan of Safe Care are adaptable and tailored to each family’s unique circumstances. Think of a PoSC as a community-based safety net, woven to support families navigating the challenges of prenatal substance use. Typically, a robust Plan of Safe Care incorporates several key elements, acting as essential safe care tools:
- Addressing Basic Needs: This foundational element ensures the family has access to safe housing, essential medical care, and mental health treatment when needed. These are the fundamental building blocks for stability and well-being.
- Prioritizing Physical Health: This aspect focuses on prenatal and postpartum care for the mother, support for breastfeeding, medication management, and effective pain management strategies. These tools are critical for the mother’s physical recovery and the infant’s healthy start.
- Delivery and Discharge Planning: Careful planning for delivery and hospital discharge is paramount. This includes determining the birthing location, ensuring adequate support systems are in place, facilitating information sharing among hospital staff and service providers, and establishing a safe sleeping environment for the newborn.
- Behavioral Health Support: Engagement in behavioral health services is crucial. This element encompasses treatment, recovery support, and strategies for treatment retention. Crucially, it also considers treatment needs for partners and other family members, recognizing the interconnectedness of family well-being.
- Infant Health and Development Focus: This includes high-risk follow-up care and referrals to specialized care when necessary. Developmental screenings and early intervention services are essential to monitor the infant’s progress and address any developmental delays promptly. Access to early care and education programs further supports the infant’s healthy development.
- Parenting and Family Support Systems: Coordinated case management is at the heart of this element, alongside home visiting programs. Practical support extends to housing assistance, employment support, childcare solutions, and transportation aid. These tools empower parents and strengthen the family unit.
Who Develops a Plan of Safe Care?
In Wyoming, Patient Care Teams are entrusted with the vital task of creating Plans of Safe Care in collaboration with families. This collaborative approach ensures comprehensive care coordination through consultations with a multidisciplinary team of medical and substance use professionals, family support specialists, and community service providers.
Ideally, the PoSC is developed with input from this multidisciplinary team before the mother and baby are discharged from the hospital. Best practices advocate for initiating the PoSC prenatally, envisioning it as a dynamic document that evolves throughout the pregnancy and after birth. When prenatal planning isn’t feasible, the PoSC must be developed and finalized after birth, but always before the mother’s discharge. The team involved in creating a Plan of Safe Care may include:
- Medical staff, providing essential health expertise.
- Treatment providers, specializing in substance use disorders.
- Mental health experts, addressing emotional and psychological well-being.
- Peer Specialists, offering valuable lived experience and support.
- Early childhood staff, focusing on infant and child development.
By utilizing these safe care tools within a comprehensive Plan of Safe Care framework, communities can effectively support vulnerable infants and families, fostering healthier futures.
