Action plans are created to identify the actions required to address the needs of the concerned participants during the investigation process. The action plan documents the situations requiring action that concern each participant, any related allegations and the expected and actual dates for addressing the situation. Examples of situations include a concern over the safety of a child due to alleged physical abuse by a family member. The actions required to address each situation are also documented, including the case participants or user responsible for completing each action. Situations within an action plan may be associated with an action when they are recorded or they may exist independently within an action plan to be associated with actions at a later date. Additionally, actions within an action plan may be associated with one or more situations when they are recorded or they may exist independently to be associated with situations at a later date. Multiple action plans can be created for a given investigation.
Typically an action plan is a voluntary agreement between a participant and the organization. For example, John's mother alleges he was physically abused by his father. A case worker conducts an investigation into the allegation and decides that the allegation is founded. Based on his interaction with John's mother, the case worker determines that it is in John's best interests to remain in his family's home if some of his concerns about John's father are addressed in an appropriate manner. Freddie creates a four-week action plan for John detailing the situation requiring action, the expected date by when the situation should be addressed, and the action required to address the situation. For example, to address the situation of John's safety, John's father will check-in to an in-patient drug addiction program at the county hospital immediately, completing the program successfully before returning home. After talking with Freddie, John's father agrees to check himself into an in-patient drug abuse program at the county hospital as soon as possible. The family also agrees to weekly visits by Freddie to see how John and his family are progressing.
In addition to being available for use in investigations, an SEM agency may also choose to implement action plans for use within any other type of case that would also benefit from having an associated action plan.