Framework for the Assessment of
Children in Need and their Families
Department of Health
Department for Education and Employment
Home Office
i
Department of Health
Department for Education and Employment
Home Office
Framework for the
Assessment of
Children in Need and
their Families
London
The Stationery Office
Social Care Group
The
Social Care Group is one of four business groups in the Department of Health.
It
is jointly headed by the Chief Social Services Inspector and the Head of Social
Care
Policy.
It supports Ministers in promoting high quality, cost effective services
through
· national
policies
· support
to external social care agencies
· inspection
The
Social Services Inspectorate is a part of the Social Care Group. It is headed
by the
Chief
Social Services Inspector who is the principal professional advisor to
Ministers
on
social services and related matters.
Web Access
This
document is available on the DoH internet web site at:
http://www.doh.gov.uk/quality.htm
This
publication is also available on The Stationery Office website at
https://www.the-stationery-office.co.uk/doh/
facn/facn.htm
The
Stationery Office site contains the document in a fully searchable format
together
with links to related publications referenced in the text. The data is held on
a
secure site that is password protected so you will need the following
infomation to
access
it:
User
name: facneed
Password:
r4ch7rd
Please
note that both fields are case sensitive and contain no spaces.
© Crown copyright 2000
First published 2000
Published with permission of Department of Health on behalf of the
Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
ISBN 0 11 322310 2
Published by The Stationery Office Ltd
Applications for reproduction should be made in writing to:
The copyright Unit
Her Majesty’s Stationery Office
St Clements House
2–16 Colegate
Norwich NR3 1BQ
Printed in the United Kingdom for The Stationery Office
J0000000 0000 00/00
iii
Foreword vii
Preface viii
1 Children in Need
1.1 Children and Families in England 1
1.6 The Extent of Children in Need 2
1.11 Children in Need under the Children Act 1989 4
1.20 Assessing Children in Need 6
1.25 Children who are Suffering or are Likely to Suffer Significant Harm
7
1.28 Providing Services 8
1.33 Principles Underpinning Assessment of Children in Need 10
1.34 Child Centred 10
1.36 Rooted in Child Development 10
1.39 Ecological Approach 11
1.42 Ensuring Equality of Opportunity 12
1.44 Working with Children and their Families 12
1.48 Building on Strengths as well as Identifying Difficulties 13
1.50 Inter-agency Approach to Assessment and Provision of Services 14
1.51 A Continuing Process, not a Single Event 14
1.56 Action and Services are Provided in Parallel with Assessment 15
1.57 Grounded in Evidence 16
2 Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need
2.1 Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need 17
2.3 Dimensions of a Child’s Developmental Needs 18
Contents
2.9 Dimensions of Parenting Capacity 20
2.13 Family and Environmental Factors 22
2.26 Inclusive Practice 26
2.31 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 27
3 The Process of Assessing Children in Need
3.1 Process of Assessment and Timing 29
3.15 S47 and Core Assessment 34
3.20 Use of Assessments in Family Proceedings 36
3.22 Care Applications and Assessment 36
3.25 Disclosure 37
3.28 Court Sanctioned Assessments 37
3.31 Oral Evidence 38
3.32 Working with Children and Families 38
3.37 Planning Assessment 41
3.41 Communicating with Children 43
3.46 Consent and Confidentiality 45
3.58 Assessment of Children in Special Circumstances 47
3.61 Assessing the Needs of Young Carers 49
3.64 The Assessment Framework and Children Looked After 50
3.66 Children Being Placed for Adoption 50
3.67 Children Leaving Care 51
4 Analysis, Judgement and Decision Making
4.6 Analysis 54
4.12 Judgements 55
4.18 Use of Consultation 57
4.20 Decision Making 57
4.32 Plans for Children in Need 60
5 Roles and Responsibilities in Inter-Agency Assessment of Children in
Need
5.1 Principles of Inter-Disciplinary and Inter-Agency Assessment 63
5.5 Corporate Responsibilities for Children in Need 64
5.8 Inter-Agency Responsibilities for Assessments of Children in Need 64
iv
5.9 Social Services Departments 65
5.16 Voluntary and Independent Agencies 66
5.17 Health Authority 66
5.22 The General Practitioner and the Primary Health Care Team 67
5.24 Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors and School Nurses 67
5.26 Paediatric Services 68
5.29 Professionals Allied to Health 68
5.30 Mental Health Services 68
5.40 Psychologists 70
5.41 Education Services 70
5.52 Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 73
5.59 Day Care Services 74
5.61 Sure Start 74
5.66 Youth Offending Teams 75
5.69 Housing 76
5.73 Police 76
5.76 Probation Services 77
5.79 The Prison Service 77
5.83 Armed Services 78
5.85 Summary 78
6 Organisational Arrangements to Support Effective Assessment of
Children
in Need
6.2 Government’s Objectives for Children’s Social Services 81
6.9 Children’s Services Planning 82
6.14 Departmental Structures and Processes 83
6.16 Departmental Protocols and Procedures 84
6.18 Commissioning Specialist Assessments 84
6.23 A Competent Work Force 85
6.26 Supervision of Practice 85
6.29 Staff as Members of Learning Organisations 86
6.34 Preparing the Ground for Training and Continuing Staff Development
87
6.39 Summary 88
v
Appendices
A The Assessment Framework 89
B A Framework for Analysing Services 90
C Referrals Involving a Child (Referral Chart) 91
D Using Assessments in Family Proceedings: Practice Issues 92
E Data Protection Registrar's Checklist 94
F Acknowledgements 98
G Bibliography 101
vi
vii
We cannot begin to improve the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable
children unless
we identify their needs and understand what is happening to them in
order to take
appropriate action.
The Government is committed to delivering better life chances to such
children
through a range of cross-cutting, inter-departmental initiatives. A key
component of
the Government's objectives for children's social services is the
development of a
framework for assessing children in need and their families, to ensure a
timely
response and the effective provision of services. This is being taken
forward as part of
the Quality Protects Programme.
Delivering services to children in need in our communities is a
corporate responsibility.
It falls on all local authority departments, health authorities and
community
services. Improvements in outcomes for children in need can only be
achieved by close
collaboration between professionals and agencies working with children
and families.
This Guidance reflects such collaboration and is issued jointly by the
Department of
Health, the Department for Education and Employment and the Home Office.
It is
issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970.
The Guidance draws widely on a wealth of research about the needs of
children and
the best of practice. Many people have contributed generously to its
development and
it has been substantially enriched by an extensive consultation
exercise. It is intended
to provide a valuable foundation for policy and practice for all those
who manage and
provide services to children in need and their families. This document
is the
cornerstone in a series of accompanying publications, materials and
training resources
about the assessment of children in need. The Assessment Framework has
been
incorporated into Working Together to Safeguard Children.
The value of this framework for assessing children in need and their
families will be
measured in future improvements in our responses to some of our most
vulnerable
children - children in need.
John Hutton
Minister of State for Social Services
March 2000
Foreword
viii
Securing the wellbeing of children by protecting them from all forms of
harm and
ensuring their developmental needs are responded to appropriately are
primary aims
of Government policy. Local authority social services departments
working with
other local authority departments and health authorities have a duty
to safeguard and
promote the welfare of children in their area who are in need and to promote the
upbringing of such children, wherever possible by their families,
through providing
an appropriate range of services. A critical task is to ascertain with
the family whether
a child is in need and how that child and family might best be helped.
The
effectiveness with which a child’s needs are assessed will be key to the
effectiveness of
subsequent actions and services and, ultimately, to the outcomes for the
child.
A Framework for Assessing Children in Need
A framework has been developed which provides a systematic way of
analysing,
understanding and recording what is happening to children and young
people within
their families and the wider context of the community in which they
live. From such
an understanding of what are inevitably complex issues and
inter-relationships, clear
professional judgements can be made. These judgements include whether
the child
being assessed is in need, whether the child is suffering or likely to
suffer significant
harm, what actions must be taken and which services would best meet the
needs of
this particular child and family. The evidence based knowledge which has
informed
the development of the framework has been drawn from a wide range of
research
studies and theories across a number of disciplines and from the
accumulated
experience of policy and practice.
The Guidance describes the Assessment Framework and the Government’s
expectations of how it will be used. It reflects the principles
contained within the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by the UK
Government in 1991 and the Human Rights Act 1998. In addition, it takes
account
of relevant legislation at the time of publication, but is particularly
informed by the
requirements of the Children Act 1989, which provides a comprehensive
framework
for the care and protection of children.
This document is issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social
Services Act
1970, which requires local authorities in their social services
functions to act under
the general guidance of the Secretary of State. As such this document
does not have
the full force of statute, but should be complied with unless local
circumstances
indicate exceptional reasons which justify a variation.
Preface
ix
The Guidance is a key element of the Department of Health’s work to
support local
authorities in implementing Quality Protects, the Government’s programme
for
transforming the management and delivery of children’s social services.
Quality
Protects aims to deliver better life chances for the most vulnerable and
disadvantaged
children, and good assessment lies at the heart of this work. The
Government’s consolidated
set of objectives for children’s social services published in September
1999
makes clear the importance of assessment in the work of local authority
departments
and health authorities. The framework has been incorporated into the
Government
Guidance on protecting children from harm, Working Together to
Safeguard Children
(Department of Health et al, 1999) and should be read in
conjunction with it when
there are concerns that a child may be or is suffering significant harm.
The Guidance is not a practice manual. It does not set out step-by-step
procedures to
be followed: rather it sets out a framework which should be adapted and
used to suit
individual circumstances. A range of additional publications has been
produced to
inform practitioners and their managers about the most up-to-date
knowledge from
research and practice. Practice guidance (Department of Health, 2000a)
and a
training pack consisting of a training video, guide and reader (NSPCC
and University
of Sheffield, 2000) have also been developed to accompany the Guidance
and to assist
the introduction and implementation of the new framework. The Department
of
Health will be working closely with local authorities, health services
and other
agencies through the Quality Protects Programme to help them put the
framework
into practice in the most cost effective way.
Who is the Guidance for?
The Guidance has been produced primarily for the use of professionals
and other staff
who will be involved in undertaking assessments of children in need and
their families
under the Children Act 1989. Social services departments have lead
responsibility for
assessments of children in need including those children who may be or
are suffering
significant harm but, under section 27 of the Children Act 1989, other
local authority
services and health authorities have a duty to assist social services in
carrying out this
function. These other agencies should be aware of the Assessment
Framework and
understand what it might mean for them.
Many agencies have contact with and responsibility for children and
young people
under a range of legislation. The Guidance is, therefore, also relevant
to assessments
concerned with the welfare of children in a number of contexts.
Health, education and youth justice services, in particular, may have
already had
considerable involvement with some children and families prior to
referral to social
services departments. They will have an important contribution to make
to the
assessment and, where appropriate, to the provision of services to those
families. Their
awareness of the Assessment Framework when contributing to assessments
of children
in need will facilitate communication between agencies and with children
and
families. It will also assist the process of referral from one agency to
another and
increase the likelihood of acceptance of the contents of previous
assessments, thereby
reducing unnecessary duplication of assessment and increasing local
confidence in
inter-agency work. Knowledge of the Assessment Framework can inform
contrix
butions by all agencies and disciplines when assessing children about
whom there are
child safety concerns (Paragraphs 5.13 and 5.33 in Working Together
to Safeguard
Children, 1999).
Effective collaborative work between staff of different disciplines and
agencies assessing
children in need and their families requires a common language to
understand the
needs of children, shared values about what is in children’s best
interests and a joint
commitment to improving the outcomes for children. The framework for
assessment
provides that common language based on explicit values about children,
knowledge
about what children need to ensure their successful development, and the
factors in
their lives which may positively or negatively influence their
upbringing. This
increases the likelihood of parents and children experiencing
consistency between
professionals and themselves about what will be important for children’s
wellbeing
and healthy development.
Government Guidance on promoting independence in adult social services, Achieving
Fairer Access to Adult Social Care Services (Department
of Health, forthcoming, a) will
address how to respond to social services referrals regarding adults.
With any adult
referral, social services should check whether the person has parenting
responsibilities
for a child under 18. If so, the initial assessment should explore any
parenting and
child related issues in accordance with the Framework for the
Assessment of Children in
Need and their FamiliesGuidance and provide
services as appropriate. The needs of the
adult should be assessed in accordance with Achieving Fair Access to
Adult Social Care
Services.
The Policy Context
The Government is committed to ending child poverty, tackling social
exclusion and
promoting the welfare of all children – so that they can thrive and have
the
opportunity to fulfil their potential as citizens throughout their
lives. There are a
number of programmes such as Sure Start, Connexions and Quality Protects
and a
range of policies to support families, promote educational attainment,
reduce truancy
and school exclusion and secure a future for all young people in
education,
employment or training. They all aim to ensure that children and
families most at risk
of social exclusion have every opportunity to build successful,
independent lives.
At the same time, the Government is committed to improving the quality
and
management of those services responsible for supporting children and
families particularly
through the modernisation of social services, through the promotion of
cooperation
between all statutory agencies and through building effective
partnerships
with voluntary and private agencies.
Promoting the wellbeing of children to ensure optimal outcomes requires
integration
at both national and local levels: joined up government – in respect
both of policy
making and of service delivery – is central to the current extensive
policy agenda. A
Ministerial Group on the Family, supported by the Family Policy Unit in
the Home
Office, encourages this approach at Government level. Its aim is to
provide a new
emphasis on looking more widely at the needs of all children and
families in the
community and to develop a programme of measures which will strengthen
family
life.
xi
Early intervention is essential to support children and families before
problems, either
from within the family or as a result of external factors, which have an
impact on
parenting capacity and family life escalate into crisis or abuse.
Government
departments, statutory and voluntary agencies, academics and
practitioners
contribute to this work. Good joint working practices and understanding
at a local
level are vital to the success of the early intervention agenda. Local
agencies, including
schools and education support services, social services departments,
youth offending
teams, primary and more specialist health care services and voluntary
and private
agencies should work together to establish agreed referral protocols
which will help to
ensure that early indications of a child being at risk of social
exclusion receive
appropriate attention.
The development of a framework for assessing children in need and their
families will
contribute to integrated working. The new framework was announced by the
Secretary of State for Health in September 1998. Its primary purpose is
to improve
outcomes for children in need. It is also designed to assist local
authority departments
and health authorities meet one of the Government’s objectives for
children’s social
services (Department of Health, 1999e) - to ensure that referral and
assessment
processes discriminate effectively between different types and levels of
need, and
produce a timely service response.
The Contents of the Guidance
The Guidance starts by outlining the legislation, responsibilities and
principles which
underpin the work of local authority departments and health authorities
in promoting
and safeguarding children’s welfare and assessing children’s needs. It
then describes the
framework and the assessment process in more detail in Chapters 2, 3 and
4. There is
reference to the needs of children in general and to children who may
have specific
needs and impairments throughout the Guidance. Roles and
responsibilities in interagency
assessment are described in Chapter 5. The Guidance concludes by
considering the organisational arrangements which should be in place to
support
effective assessment of children in need.
Relationship to Previous Guidance on Assessment
This Guidance builds on and supersedes earlier Department of Health
guidance on
assessing children, Protecting Children: A Guide for Social Workers
undertaking a
Comprehensive Assessment (1988). That publication
(often referred to as the ‘Orange
Book’) has been widely used by social work practitioners as a guide to
comprehensive
assessment for long term planning in child protection cases. Its purpose
was to assist
social work practitioners, in consultation with other agencies, to
understand the child
and family’s situation more fully once concerns about significant harm
had been
established following initial enquiries and assessment. Much of its
thinking about
children’s development and parents’ capacity to respond to children’s
needs has been
incorporated into the Assessment Framework.
However, over the years concerns have arisen about the use made of Protecting
Children. Inspections and research have shown that
the guide was sometimes followed
mechanistically and used as a check list, without any differentiation
according to the
child’s or family’s circumstances. Assessment was regarded as an event
rather than as a
process and services were withheld awaiting the completion of an
assessment. In some
authorities, an all or nothing approach was found; either very detailed
comprehensive
assessments were carried out or there was no record of any analysis of
the child and the
family’s circumstances. The framework for assessing children in need and
their
families contained in this volume is underpinned by a set of principles
which seek to
remedy any misunderstandings about the task of working with children and
families
in order to understand what is happening to them and how they might best
be helped.
Effective Implementation
A range of organisational arrangements need to be in place to ensure
sound practice in
using the framework for assessing children in need and their families.
The
effectiveness of assessment processes will be measurable over time by
evidence of
improving outcomes for children and families known to social services
departments.
The Department of Health will be working closely with all those involved
in
providing services to children to develop appropriate arrangements at
national and
local level, to learn from the experiences of children and families and
to evaluate the
impact this approach to assessment is having on outcomes for children in
need.
xii
1
1 Children
in Need
Children and Families in England
1.1 There are approximately eleven million children in England. It is
estimated that over
four million of them are living in families with less than half the
average household
income. By other calculations, well over three million children are
living in poverty
(Utting, 1995). Where these children live is significant. ‘Over the last
generation, this
has become a divided country. While most areas have benefited from
rising living
standards, the poorest neighbourhoods have tended to become more run
down, more
prone to crime and more cut off from the labour market’ (Social
Exclusion Unit, 1998).
Estimates vary about how many neighbourhoods are in the poorest
categories, ranging
from 1,600 to 4,000 in Britain as a whole. In response to these trends,
the Government
is developing major strategies to tackle the root causes of poverty and
social exclusion,
and to respond to the serious and multi-faceted problems for children
and their families
which these can create, particularly in the poorest areas. These
strategies also aim to
encourage and promote preventive and early intervention approaches to
help reduce the
scale and difficulty of such problems and to tackle them before they become
entrenched.
1.2 Just as the problems facing families are often interlinked, so the
services provided for
children and their families need to work closely together to be most
effective.
Everyone benefits if services are properly co-ordinated and integrated.
It is the
purpose of Children’s Services Planning (Department of Health and
Department for
Education and Employment,1996) to identify the broad range and level of
need in an
area and to develop corporate, inter-agency, community based plans of
action to
provide the most effective network of services within the resources
available. It is
important that all those concerned with services to children and
families – statutory
and voluntary bodies, community groups and families – contribute to the
development of these plans.
1.3 It is recognised that many families are under considerable stress,
that being a parent is
hard work, and families have a right to expect practical support from
universal
services, such as health and education. The importance of all parents
having available
to them good quality local resources is acknowledged. The Government is
committed
to supporting parenting and has set up the National Family and Parenting
Institute to
assess the support needs of families, to raise public awareness of the
importance of
parenting and the needs of children, to map and disseminate information
and good
practice, and to provide advice to Government and others in a way which
reflects our
culturally diverse society. It will work collaboratively with others to
help develop
parent support services and to influence the research agenda and analyse
and
disseminate research findings. It will draw on anonymised data from
ParentLine Plus,
whose freephone national telephone Helpline is available to provide a
service to all
parents. Steps are being taken through public service and welfare
reforms to
modernise the National Health Service, raise standards in local schools,
provide good
out of school care, reduce crime, ensure streets are safe for families
and strengthen
communities’ capacities to respond to and support families. This forms
an ambitious
programme which will take many years to deliver in full and requires
continuous
concerted central and local government effort.
1.4 All families may experience difficulties from time to time for a
whole host of reasons
which may have an impact on their children. These reasons may include
the death of a
family member, physical or mental ill health in the family, the
breakdown of marital or
other significant relationships, sudden loss of employment, multiple
births, or having
a child with special educational needs. Not all adults are well prepared
for the daily
upheavals and stress of bringing up a child. Some parents may find one
particular stage
in their child's life especially stressful, for example adolescence.
Many cope well
enough with one problem but a combination of problems can have a
cummulative
debilitating effect.
1.5 Many families coping with extremely difficult circumstances receive
sufficient
support from friends, relatives and services in the community including
universal
services to overcome potential disadvantage. They are not likely to seek
or require
additional services. In this sense, parenting has been called ‘a
buffered system’ (Belsky
and Vondra, 1989). In some cases the buffers of family and community
resources may
not exist or be sufficient to ensure the current or future wellbeing of
the child. It is in
these situations that additional support or services may be necessary,
some of which
may be purchased by parents (such as day care) or obtained directly from
other
statutory or voluntary agencies (such as befriending by a volunteer).
Some parents
may turn to or be referred to child welfare agencies in the community
and require
targeted services from health, education and social services.
The Extent of Children in Need
1.6 Children may be defined as in need in many different circumstances.
The information
on how many children are known to social services is not available
nationally, but
current estimates suggest between 300,000 and 400,000 children are known
at any
one time. Figure 1 shows how the extent of need can be represented
within the context
of vulnerable1 and all children. According to Department of Health statistics, about
53,000 children are looked after in statutory care at any one time
(Department of
Health, 1999b). This figure excludes those disabled children receiving
respite care.
Approximately 32,000 children’s names are on a Child Protection Register
at any one
time because they require a child protection plan (Department of Health,
1999i).
1.7 The families referred to or seeking help from social services will
have differing levels of
need. Many will be helped by advice or practical services or short term
intervention. A
smaller proportion will have problems of such complexity and seriousness
that they
2
1. Vulnerable children are those disadvantaged
children who would benefit from extra help from
public agencies in order to make the best of their
life chances. Four million children live in
families with less than half the average household
income.
3
require more detailed assessment, involving other agencies in that
process, leading to
appropriate plans and interventions.
1.8 This can best be illustrated by examining the experience of one
unitary authority, as an
example:
1.9 This authority, in parallel with many others, has been working for
the past three years
with its community and local agencies to take a broader-based approach
to helping
vulnerable children and their families and has begun to find:
l a slight increase in child care referrals;
l the majority of referrals more
appropriately dealt with under s17;
l proportionally fewer child protection s47
enquiries;
l fewer children’s names being placed on the
child protection register;
l a decrease in the numbers of children
being looked after;
Figure 1 Representation of Extent of Children in
Need in England at any one time
EXAMPLE: UNITARY AUTHORITY 1997–1999
1997/98 1998/99
Total child population under the age of 18 35,086
35,086
Children referred to social services as children in
need 4.000 4,097
Child Protection s47 enquiries carried out 1,752 708
Total number of children on Child Protection Register
at year end 161 96
Total number of children looked after at year end 217
202
All children (11 million)
Vulnerable Children (4 million)
Children in Need (3-400,000)
Children Looked After (53,000)
On Child Protection Register
(32,000)
4
l a decrease in the numbers of children
accommodated on an unplanned basis;
l a reduction in the anxiety levels of all
staff in child and family work.
1.10 Ensuring that assessment discriminates effectively between different
types and levels
of need, from the point of referral onwards, is critical to the
objective of improving the
effectiveness of services to children and securing best value from
available resources
(Department of Health, 1999e).
Children in Need under the Children Act 1989
1.11 The obligations of the State to assist families who need help in
bringing up their own
children are laid down in legislation. Part III of the Children Act 1989
is the basis in
law for the provision of local services to children in need: children in
this respect are
defined as under the age of 18 (s105).
1.12 The Children Act 1989 places a specific duty on agencies to
co-operate in the interests
of children in need in section 27. Section 322 of the Education Act 1996
also places a
duty on the local authority to assist the local education authority
where any child who
has special educational needs.
1.13 Several key principles which underpin the Children Act 1989 are
found in Part III of
the Act:
l it is the duty of the State through local
authorities to both safeguard and promote
the welfare of vulnerable children;
It shall be the general duty of every local authority
–
l to safeguard
and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in
need; and
l so far as is
consistent with that duty, to promote the upbringing of such children
by their families, by providing a range and level of
services appropriate to those
children’s needs.
Children Act 1989 s17(1)
Where it appears to a local authority that any
authority or other person mentioned
in sub-section (3) could, by taking any specified
action, help in the exercise of any
of their functions under this Part, they may request
the help of that other authority
or persons, specifying the action in question.
An authority whose help is so requested shall comply
with the request if it is
compatible with their own statutory or other duties
and obligations and does not
unduly prejudice the discharge of any of their
functions.
The persons are –
a. any local authority;
b. any local education authority;
c. any local housing authority;
d. any health authority, special health authority,
National Health Services Trust or
Primary Care Trust; and
e. any person authorised by the Secretary of State for
the purpose of this section.
Children Act 1989 s27
5
l it is in the children’s best interests to
be brought up in their own families wherever
possible;
l whilst it is parents’ responsibility to
bring up their children, they may need
assistance from time to time to do so;
l they should be able to call upon services,
including accommodation (under s20 of
the Children Act 1989), from or with the help of the local authority
when they are
required.
The notion of partnership between State and families is thus also
established in this
Part of the Act.
1.14 In order to carry out these duties the meaning of safeguarding and
promoting within
the parameters of the Children Act 1989 should be appreciated, as should
the contribution
of these objectives to strengthening and supplementing parental
capacities so
that children may grow up in their families, wherever possible.
1.15 Safeguarding has two elements:
l a duty to protect children from
maltreatment;
l a duty to prevent impairment.
1.16 The duty to protect children from maltreatment demands knowledge
and
understanding of the law and the accompanying government guidance, Working
Together to Safeguard Children (1999).
1.17 However, safeguarding children should not be seen as a separate
activity from
promoting their welfare. They are two sides of the same coin. Promoting
welfare has a
wider, more positive, action centred approach embedded in a philosophy
of creating
opportunities to enable children to have optimum life chances in adulthood,
as well as
ensuring they are growing up in circumstances consistent with the
provision of safe
and effective care. A useful framework for looking at the policy context
of children in
need and the value of applying a twin approach of safeguarding and promoting
welfare
at different levels of intervention has been developed by Hardiker et
al (1996; 1999).
Their grid, reproduced in Appendix B, can be used to help the planning
and
appropriate provision of services.
1.18 Children who are defined as in need under the Children Act 1989 are
those whose
vulnerability is such that they are unlikely to reach or maintain a
satisfactory level of
health and development, or their health and development will be
significantly
impaired without the provision of services. The critical factors to be
taken into
account in deciding whether a child is in need under the Children Act
1989 are what
will happen to a child’s health and development without services,
and the likely effect
the services will have on the child’s standard of health and
development. Determining
who is in need, what those needs are, and how services will have an
effect on outcomes
for children requires professional judgement by social services staff
together with
colleagues from other professional disciplines who are working with
children and
families.
1.19 The criteria for defining who is in need are spelt out above in
section 17(10) of the
Children Act 1989. The criteria include a child who is disabled. A child
is defined as
6
disabled ‘if he is blind, deaf or dumb or suffers from mental
disorder of any kind, or is
substantially and permanently handicapped by illness, injury or
congenital or other such
disability as may be prescribed’ (s17(11)).
This definition does not preclude children
whose impairment may be less substantial from being defined as children
in need
under the other categories. Thus, where the family, educational, social
or environmental
circumstances may be preventing such a disabled child from achieving or
maintaining a reasonable standard of health or development without the
provision of
services, the local authority should consider whether that child is a
child in need.
Assessing Children in Need
1.20 The duties and powers of the local authority to assess the needs of
a child and to
provide services are outlined in Part III of the Children Act 1989, in
particular section
17, and Schedule 2 Part I. Part III is the main part of the Act (titled Local
Authority
Support for Children and Families)
about the delivery of services by social services
departments. Other Parts (I, II, IV and V) outline the way in which
court orders may
be obtained to authorise or enforce certain actions, in relation to
family proceedings,
care and supervision and the protection of children.
1.21 The Act gives local authority social services the power to assess
children’s needs as
follows:
1.22 Professionals from a number of agencies, but in particular health
and education, are a
key source of referral to social services departments of children who
are, or may be, in
need. They may already know these children and their families well and,
if so, they will
be key in assisting social services departments to carry out their
assessment functions
under the Children Act 1989. Knowledge of the Assessment Framework will
be of use
to all professionals when they are contributing to assessments of
children in need,
A child shall be taken to be in need if –
a. he is unlikely to achieve or maintain or to have
the opportunity of achieving or
maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or
development without the
provision for him of services by a local authority …
b. his health or development is likely to be
significantly impaired, or further
impaired, without the provision for him of such
services; or
c. he is disabled,
And “family” in relation to such a child, includes any
person who has parental
responsibility for the child and any other person with
whom he has been living.
Children Act 1989 s17(10)
Where it appears to a local authority that a child
within their area is in need, the
authority may assess his needs for the purposes of
this Act at the same time as any
assessment of his needs is made under:
l the Chronically
Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970;
l the Education
Act 1996;
l the Disabled
Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986; or
l any other
enactment.
Children Act 1989 (Schedule 2, paragraph 3)
7
including when they are undertaking or contributing to assessments as part
of their
responsibilities for safeguarding children under Working Together to
Safeguard
Children (1999).
1.23 The following principles should guide inter-agency,
inter-disciplinary work with
children in need. It is essential to be clear about:
l the purpose and anticipated outputs from
the assessment;
l the legislative basis for the assessment;
l the protocols and procedures to be
followed;
l which agency, team or professional has
lead responsibility;
l how the child and family members will be
involved in the assessment process;
l which professional has lead responsibility
for analysing the assessment findings and
constructing a plan;
l the respective roles of each professional
involved in the assessment;
l the way in which information will be
shared across professional boundaries and
within agencies, and be recorded;
l which professional will have
responsibility for taking forward the plan when it is
agreed.
1.24 It is important to agree an assessment plan with the child and
family, so that all parties
understand who is doing what, when, and how the various assessments will
be used to
inform overall judgements about a child’s needs and subsequent planning.
When joint
assessments are being undertaken, clarity is required about whether this
means one
professional will undertake an assessment on behalf of the team or
whether several
types of assessment are to be undertaken in parallel. In the latter
situation, thought is
required regarding how these can be organised to avoid duplication.
Service users, in
particular parents of disabled children, report that assessments are
often repetitive and
uninformed by previous work. The agreed process should be based on what
is
appropriate for the needs of the particular child and family, taking
account of the
purpose of the assessment, rather than what fits best with professional
systems. Agreed
protocols and procedures should be flexible enough to accommodate
different ways of
undertaking assessments within the overall Assessment Framework.
Children Who are Suffering or are Likely to Suffer
Significant
Harm
1.25 Some children are in need because they are suffering or likely to
suffer significant
harm. Concerns about maltreatment may be the reason for referral of a
family to social
services or concerns may arise during the course of providing services
to a family. In
such circumstances, the local authority is obliged to consider
initiating enquiries to
find out what is happening to a child and whether action should be taken
to protect a
child. This obligation is set out in Part V s47 of the Children Act 1989
(Protection of
Children):
1.26 This section of the Act requires local authorities to consider if
action is necessary. To
8
make enquiries implies the need to assess what is happening to a child.
The procedures
for such action to be followed are laid down in Working Together to
Safeguard Children
(1999). Where there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child may be
suffering or is at
risk of suffering significant harm, section 47 (9)(10)(11) places a duty
on:
l any local authority;
l any local education authority;
l any housing authority;
l any health authority, special health
authority, National Health Service Trust or
Primary Care Trust; and
l any person authorised by the Secretary of
State.
to help a local authority with its enquiries. In addition, the Police
have a duty and a
responsibility to investigate criminal offences committed against children.
1.27 It is important to emphasise that the assessment should concentrate
on the harm that
has occurred or is likely to occur to the child as a result of child
maltreatment, in order
to inform future plans and the nature of services required. This is
because there is
substantial research evidence to suggest that the health and development
of children,
including their educational attainment, may be severely affected if they
have been
subjected to child maltreatment (Varma (ed), 1993; Adcock and White (eds),
1998;
Jones and Ramchandani, 1999). It is not enough to have established the
harm: action
should be taken to safeguard and promote children’s welfare. The duty to
both
safeguard and promote the child’s welfare continues throughout the
process of finding
out whether there are grounds for concern that a child may be suffering
or is at risk of
suffering significant harm and deciding what action should be taken.
Services may be
provided to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare (under Part III of
the Act), while
enquiries are being carried out, or, after protective action has been
taken while an
application is being made for a care or supervision order (under Part
IV).
Providing Services
1.28 The local authority has a duty to respond to children in need in
their area in the
following ways:
l to provide services to children in need
(s17);
Where a local authority –
a. are informed that a child who lives, or is found in
their area –
i is the subject of an emergency protection order; or
ii is in police protection; or
b. have reasonable cause to suspect that a child who
lives, or is found in their area
is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant
harm,
the authority shall make, or cause to be made, such enquiries
as they consider
necessary to enable them to decide whether they should
take any action to
safeguard or promote the child’s welfare.
Children Act 1989 s47(1)
9
l to provide such day care for children in
need as appropriate (s18);
l to provide accommodation and maintenance
to any child in need (s20 and s23);
l to advise, assist and befriend a child
whilst he is being looked after and when he
ceases to be looked after by the authority (s24);
l to provide services to minimise the effect
of disabilities (Schedule 2, paragraph 6);
l to take steps to prevent neglect or
ill-treatment (Schedule 2, paragraph 4);
l to take steps to encourage children not to
commit criminal offences (Schedule 2,
paragraph 7(b)); and
l to provide family centres (Schedule 2,
paragraph 9).
1.29 The provision of services has a very broad meaning; the aim may be
to prevent deterioration,
that is to stop situations from getting worse, as well as to improve a
child’s
health and development. Decisions about which services to provide should
be based
on an assessment of the child and families circumstances, in the
following three
domains: child’s developmental needs, parenting capacity, and family and
environmental
factors. This framework for assessing children in need and their
families is
discussed fully in Chapter 2. It should be stressed that services, such
as direct work
with children and families, may be offered at the same time as family
proceedings are
in progress. The one does not preclude the other. Furthermore,
services may be
provided to any members of the family in order to assist a child in need
(s17(3) of the
Children Act 1989). The needs of parent carers are an integral part of
an assessment.
Providing services which meet the needs of parents is often the most
effective means of
promoting the welfare of children, in particular disabled children.
1.30 Services may include those provided by local authority children's
services or by local
authority adult services or by other agencies, on a single agency,
inter-agency or multiagency
basis. By inter-agency it is meant that services are provided by
individual
agencies according to an agreed plan. By multi-agency, it is
meant that services are
provided by agencies acting in concert and drawing on pooled resources
or a pooled
budget or services defined as such in legislation, for example youth
offending teams.
1.31 Services may be provided on a one off or episodic basis or over a
longer period of time
as determined by the child’s plan (see paragraph 4.33). These provisions
are often
described as a continuum of services to support children and
their families, and
include care for a child in accommodation away from home. It is the
function of
Children’s Services Planning to make sure this continuum of services is
in place.
Services provided in parallel with court proceedings or following on
from a court
order are provided under Part III of the Act.
1.32 In determining what services should be provided to a particular
child and his family,
social services departments are not charged with the same duty as the
courts that the
child’s welfare shall be the ‘paramount consideration’ (s1(1)). Rather
they have a
broader duty to promote children’s welfare to achieve the best possible
outcomes for
that particular child. Social services, in their assessment of whether a
child is in need
and how to respond to those needs, also have to take into consideration
other children
in the family and the general circumstances of that family. Social
services have to
identify the impact of what is happening to the child and also the
likely impact of any
intervention on that child and on other family members. Assessment
requires careful
consideration of the repercussions or consequences of providing specific
types of
services and the extent to which they will both safeguard and promote a
particular
child’s welfare and development. This may be a complex equation which
requires a
high level of skill and professional judgement, involving all agency
partners.
Principles Underpinning Assessment of Children in Need
1.33 Important principles underpin the approach to assessing children in
need and their
families which is outlined in this Guidance. They are important in understanding
the
development of the framework and in considering how an assessment should
be
carried out.
Child Centred
1.34 Fundamental to establishing whether a child is in need and how
those needs should be
best met is that the approach must be child centred. This means that the
child is seen
and kept in focus throughout the assessment and that account is always
taken of the
child’s perspective. In complex situations where much is happening,
attention can be
diverted from the child to other issues which the family may be facing,
such as a high
level of conflict between adult family members, or depression being
experienced by a
parent or acute housing problems. This can result in the child becoming
lost during
assessment and the impact of the family and environmental circumstances
on the
child not being clearly identified and understood. The significance of
seeing and
observing the child throughout any assessment cannot be overstated.
1.35 The importance, therefore, of undertaking direct work with children
during
assessment is emphasised, including developing multiple, age, gender and
culturally
appropriate methods for ascertaining their wishes and feelings, and
understanding the
meaning of their experiences to them. Throughout the assessment process,
the safety
of the child should be ensured.
Rooted in Child Development
1.36 A thorough understanding of child development is critical to work
with children and
10
PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING THE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK
Assessments:
l are child
centred;
l are rooted in
child development;
l are ecological
in their approach;
l ensure equality
of opportunity;
l involve working
with children and families;
l build on
strengths as well as identify difficulties;
l are
inter-agency in their approach to assessment and the provision of services;
l are a
continuing process, not a single event;
l are carried out
in parallel with other action and providing services;
l are grounded in
evidence based knowledge.
11
their families. Children have a range of different and complex
developmental needs
which must be met during different stages of childhood if optimal
outcomes are to be
achieved. Disabled children, including those with learning disabilities,
may have a
different rate of progress across the various developmental dimensions.
Many disabled
children will have quite individual patterns of development, for example
a child with
autism may acquire some skills ahead of the usual milestones but may
never develop
some communication skills. In addition, different aspects of development
will have
more or less weight at different stages of a child’s life. For example,
in the early years
there is an emphasis on developing cognitive and language skills,
achieving physical
milestones and forming secure attachments; in middle childhood, social
and
educational development become more prominent; while the adolescent
strives to
reconcile the tensions between social and emotional dependence and
independence.
1.37 Each child’s development is significantly shaped by his or her
particular experiences
and the interaction between a series of factors. Some factors are
intrinsic to individual
children, such as characteristics of genetic inheritance or temperament.
Other factors
may include particular health problems or an impairment. Others may
relate to their
culture and to the physical and emotional environment in which a child
is living.
1.38 Children referred for help are frequently very vulnerable and their
opportunities to
reach their full potential may have been or may be likely to be
compromised in some
way, for a variety of reasons. It is, therefore, crucial to know about
the importance of
developmental milestones which children need to reach, if they are to be
healthy and
achieve their full potential. This knowledge should recognise also that
children are
individuals and variations may occur in that sequence of development:
such
variations, however, may indicate services are necessary. Professionals
should
understand the consequences of variations for particular children of
different ages,
some of whom may have special educational needs and profound
difficulties.
Furthermore, they have to understand the significance of timing in a
child’s life.
Children may not be getting what they require at a crucial stage in
their development
and time is passing. Plans and interventions should be based on a clear
assessment of
the developmental progress and difficulties a child may be experiencing
and ensure
that planned action is timely and appropriate in terms of the child’s
developmental
needs.
Ecological Approach
1.39 An understanding of a child must be located within the context of
the child’s family
(parents or caregivers and the wider family) and of the community and
culture in
which he or she is growing up. The significance of understanding the
parent-child
relationship has long been part of child welfare practice: less so the
importance of the
interface between environmental factors and a child’s development, and
the influence
of these environmental factors on parents’ capacities to respond to
their child’s needs
(Jack, 1997; Stevenson, 1998 and others). The association between
economic
disadvantage and the chances that children will fail to thrive (Utting,
1995) and the
association between a teenager’s friendship group and pro-social and
anti-social
behaviour (Rutter et al, 1998) are well researched. So is the
impact on parenting
capacity of a supportive wider family or of struggling to bring up
children in
impoverished living conditions. ‘Living on a low income in a run down
12
neighbourhood does not make it impossible to be the affectionate,
authoritative
parent of healthy, sociable children. But it does, undeniably, make it
more difficult’
(Utting, 1995, p. 40).
1.40 Assessment, therefore, should take account of three domains:
l the child’s developmental needs;
l the parents' or caregivers' capacities to
respond appropriately;
l the wider family and environmental
factors.
1.41 The interaction between the three domains and the way they
influence each other
must be carefully analysed in order to gain a complete picture of a
child’s unmet needs
and how to identify the best response to them.
Ensuring Equality of Opportunity
1.42 The Children Act 1989 is built on the premise that ‘children and
young people and
their parents should all be considered as individuals with particular
needs and
potentialities’ (Department of Health, 1989), that differences in
bringing up children
due to family structures, religion, culture and ethnic origins should be
respected and
understood and that those children with ‘specific social needs arising
out of disability
or a health condition’ have their assessed needs met and reviewed
(Department of
Health, 1998a). Ensuring that all children who are assessed as in need
have the
opportunity to achieve optimal development, according to their
circumstances and
age, is an important principle. Furthermore, since discrimination of all
kinds is an
everyday reality in many children’s lives, every effort must be made to
ensure that
agencies' responses do not reflect or reinforce that experience and
indeed, should
counteract it. Some vulnerable children may have been particularly
disadvantaged in
their access to important opportunities, such as those who have suffered
multiple
family disruptions or prolonged maltreatment by abuse or neglect and are
subsequently
looked by the local authority. Their health and educational needs will
require particular attention in order to optimise their long term
outcomes in young
adulthood.
1.43 Ensuring equality of opportunity does not mean that all children
are treated the same.
It does mean understanding and working sensitively and knowledgeably
with
diversity to identify the particular issues for a child and his/her
family, taking account
of experiences and family context. This is further elaborated in the
chapters in the
accompanying practice guidance on working with disabled children and
with black
children.
Working with Children and their Families
1.44 The majority of parents want to do the best for their children.
Whatever their circumstances
or difficulties, the concept of partnership between the State and the
family, in
situations where families are in need of assistance in bringing up their
children, lies at
the heart of child care legislation. The importance of partnership has
been further
reinforced by a substantial number of research findings, including the
child protection
studies (Department of Health, 1995d) and family support studies (Butt
and Box,
13
1998; Aldgate and Bradley, 1999; Tunstill and Aldgate, 2000). In the
process of
finding out what is happening to a child, it will be critical to develop
a co-operative
working relationship, so that parents or caregivers feel respected and
informed, that
staff are being open and honest with them, and that they in turn are
confident about
providing vital information about their child, themselves and their
circumstances.
1.45 Working with family members is not an end in itself; the objective
must always be to
safeguard and promote the welfare of the child. The child, therefore,
must be kept in
focus. It requires sensitivity to and understanding of the circumstances
of families and
their particular needs, for example where English is not a parent’s
first language or
where adults who are significant to a child are not living in the same
household or
where a parent is disabled or mentally ill. For a disabled parent
reasonable adjustments
will be needed, for example, it may be necessary to provide information
to a blind
parent in an alternative format such as Braille or on audio tape, or to
communicate
with a deaf parent using British Sign Language.
1.46 Parents value taking part in discussions about how and where the
assessment will be
carried out, as well as what they hope it will achieve. Similarly,
according to the age and
development of the child, listening to what children have to say and
working openly
and honestly is valued by them and produces more effective outcomes.
This is
discussed further in Chapter 3.
1.47 Developing a working relationship with children and family members
will not always
be easy to achieve and can be difficult especially when there have been
concerns about
significant harm to the child. However resistant the family or difficult
the circumstances,
it remains important to continue to try to find ways of engaging the
family in
the assessment process. Use of mediation may be helpful in assisting
professionals and
family members to work together. The quality of the early or initial
contact will affect
later working relationships and the ability of professionals to secure
an agreed
understanding of what is happening and to provide help. Studies have
found that even
in situations where child sexual abuse is alleged, despite early
difficulties that may arise
because of having to take immediate child protective action, it may
still be possible to
work with children and their parents (Cleaver and Freeman, 1995; Jones
and
Ramchandani, 1999). Working with children and family members, where
there are
concerns about a child suffering significant harm is discussed in
paragraphs 7.2 to 7.12
in Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999).
Building on Strengths as well as Identifying
Difficulties
1.48 It is important that an approach to assessment, which is based on a
full understanding
of what is happening to a child in the context of his or her family and
the wider
community, examines carefully the nature of the interactions between the
child,
family and environmental factors and identifies both positive and
negative influences.
These will vary for each child. Nothing can be assumed; the facts must
be sought, the
meaning attached to them explored and weighed up with the family.
Sometimes
assessments have been largely in terms of a child or family’s
difficulties or problems, or
the risks seen to be attached to particular behaviours or situations.
What is working
well or what may be acting as positive factors for the child and family
may be
overlooked. For example, a single mother, in crisis over health,
financial and housing
14
problems, may still be managing to get her child up in time in the
mornings, washed,
dressed, breakfasted and off to school each day. An older child, living
in a family
periodically disrupted by domestic violence, may be provided with
welcome respite
care on a regular basis by a grandmother living locally. Working with a
child or family’s
strengths may be an important part of a plan to resolve difficulties.
1.49 This is not to suggest that staff should suspend their critical
professional judgement
and adopt a 'rule of optimism' (Dingwall et al, 1983). It is important,
however, that
they not only identify the deficits in assessing a family’s situation,
but also make a
realistic and informed appraisal of the strengths and resources in the
family and the
relative weight that should be given to each. These can be mobilised to
safeguard and
promote the child’s welfare.
Inter-Agency Approach to Assessment and Provision of
Services
1.50 From birth, all children will become involved with a variety of
different agencies in the
community, particularly in relation to their health, day care and
educational
development. A range of professionals, including midwives, health
visitors, general
practitioners, nursery staff and teachers, will have a role in assessing
their general
wellbeing and development. Children who are vulnerable are, therefore,
likely to be
identified by these professionals, who will have an important
responsibility in
deciding whether to refer them to social services for further assessment
and help. The
knowledge they already have about a child and family is an essential
component of any
assessment. These agencies may also be required to provide more
specialist assessment
for those smaller numbers of children where there are particular causes
for concern.
Similarly, responding to the needs of vulnerable children may require
services from
agencies other than social services or in combination with social
services help. Interagency
work starts as soon as there are concerns about a child's welfare, not
just when
there is an enquiry about significant harm. An important underlying
principle of the
approach to assessment in this Guidance, therefore, is that it is based
on a inter-agency
model in which it is not just social services departments which are the
assessors and
providers of services.
A Continuing Process, not a Single Event
1.51 Understanding what is happening to a vulnerable child within the
context of his or her
family and the local community cannot be achieved as a single event. It
must
necessarily be a process of gathering information from a variety of
sources and making
sense of it with the family and, very often, with several professionals
concerned with
the child’s welfare.
1.52 This assessment process involves one or more of the following:
l establishing good working relationships
with the child and family;
l developing a deeper understanding through
multiple approaches to the assessment
task;
l setting up joint or parallel assessment
arrangements with other professionals and
agencies, as appropriate;
15
l determining which types of intervention
are most likely to be effective for which
needs.
1.53 For many children who come to the attention of social services
departments, the
process will be relatively straightforward and short term. The more
complex or serious
a child’s situation, however, the more time it may take to understand thoroughly
what
is happening to the child, the reasons why and the impact on the child
and the more it
is also likely to involve several agencies in that process. Where there
are concerns about
a child’s safety, decisions to safeguard the child may have to be made
quickly pending
greater understanding of the child’s circumstances. Once it has been
established
whether a child is in need, further questions will remain to be answered
about:
l the parents’ views of the child’s needs
and services required;
l the precise nature of these needs;
l the reasons for them;
l the priority for action and/or resources;
l the potential for change in the child and
family;
l the best options to be pursued;
l the child’s and family’s response to
intervention;
l how well the child is doing.
Assessment should continue throughout a period of intervention, and
intervention
may start at the beginning of an assessment.
1.54 Assessment is thus an iterative process which for some children
will continue
throughout work with the child and the family or caregivers. In order to
achieve the
best outcomes, the framework should be used also at important decision
making times
when reviewing the child’s progress and future plans. Use of the
Assessment
Framework linked to the Looking After Children materials which have been
used to
monitor the child’s progress whilst they have been looked after will
enhance care
planning and reviewing processes. This will provide an integrated
framework for
children looked after which should be used at key decision making points
including
return home from residential or foster care, or longer term plans for an
alternative
family placement such as adoption, or when leaving care.
1.55 This does not mean that assessment should be over intrusive,
repeated unnecessarily
or continued without any clear purpose or outcome. Effective
discrimination between
different types and levels of need are key considerations.
Action and Services are Provided in Parallel with
Assessment
1.56 Although assessment is generally described in this Guidance as a
discrete process
which will result in an understanding of need, from which a plan of
action and
intervention can be developed, in many situations there is inevitably
overlap between
these different activities. Undertaking an assessment with a family can
begin a process
of understanding and change by key family members. A practitioner may,
during the
process of gathering information, be instrumental in bringing about
change by the
questions asked, by listening to members of the family, by validating
the family’s
difficulties or concerns, and by providing information and advice. The
process of
assessment should be therapeutic in itself. This does not preclude
taking timely action
either to provide immediate services or to take steps to protect a child
who is suffering
or is likely to suffer significant harm. Action and services should be
provided
according to the needs of the child and family, in parallel with
assessment where
necessary, and not await completion of the assessment.
Grounded in Evidence
1.57 Each professional discipline derives its knowledge from a
particular theoretical base,
related research findings and accumulated practice wisdom and
experience. Social
work practice, however, differs in that it derives its knowledge from
theory and
research in many different disciplines. Practice is also based on
policies laid down in
legislation and government guidance. It is essential that practitioners
and their
managers ensure that practice and its supervision are grounded in the
most up to date
knowledge and that they make use of the resources described in the
practice guidance
as well as other critical materials, including:
l relevant research findings;
l national and local statistical data;
l national policy and practice guidance;
l Social Services Inspectorate Inspection
Standards;
l Government and local inspection, audit and
performance assessment reports;
l lessons learnt from national and local
inquiries and reviews of cases of child
maltreatment.
1.58 Practice is expected to be evidence based, by which it is meant
that practitioners:
l use knowledge critically from research and
practice about the needs of children and
families and the outcomes of services and interventions to inform their
assessment
and planning;
l record and update information
systematically, distinguishing sources of
information, for example direct observation, other agency records or
interviews
with family members;
l learn from the views of users of services
ie. children and families;
l valuate continously whether the
intervention is effective in responding to the needs
of an individual child and family and modifying their interventions
accordingly;
l evaluate rigorously the information,
processes and outcomes from the practitioner’s
own interventions to develop practice wisdom.
1.59 The combination of evidence based practice grounded in knowledge
with finely
balanced professional judgement is the foundation for effective practice
with children
and families.
1.60 The knowledge base from which these principles are derived and the
application of the
principles to the process of assessing children in need and their
families are developed
in subsequent chapters.
16
17
Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need
2.1 Assessing whether a child is in need and the nature of these needs
requires a systematic
approach which uses the same framework or conceptual map for gathering
and
analysing information about all children and their families, but
discriminates
effectively between different types and levels of need. The framework in
this guidance
is developed from the legislative foundations and principles in Chapter
1 and an
extensive research and practice knowledge which is outlined in the
practice guidance
(Department of Health, 2000a). It requires a thorough understanding of:
l the developmental needs of children;
l the capacities of parents or caregivers to
respond appropriately to those needs;
l the impact of wider family and
environmental factors on parenting capacity and
children.
2.2 These are described as three inter-related systems or domains, each
of which has a
number of critical dimensions (Figure 2). The interaction or the
influence of these
dimensions on each other requires careful exploration during assessment,
with the
ultimate aim being to understand how they affect the child or children
in the family.
2 Framework
for the Assessment of Children in
Need
Figure 2 The Assessment Framework (the above
diagram has been reproduced at
Appendix A for ease of photocopying)
Health
Education
Emotional &
Behavioural
Development
Identity
Family
& Social
Relationships
Social
Presentation
Selfcare Skills
Basic Care
Ensuring
Safety
Emotional
Warmth
Stimulation
Guidance
& Boundaries
Stability
CHILD
Safeguarding
and promoting
welfare
Family
History
& Functioning
Wider Family
Housing
Employment
Income
Family’s Social
Integration
Community
Resources
CHILD’S DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS
PARENTING CAPACITY
FAMILY & ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
18
This analysis of the child’s situation will inform planning and action
to secure the best
outcomes for the child. The Assessment Framework can be represented in
the form of
a triangle or pyramid, with the child’s welfare at the centre. This
emphasises that all
assessment activity and subsequent planning and provision of services
must focus on
ensuring that the child’s welfare is safeguarded and promoted.
Dimensions of a Child’s Developmental Needs
2.3 Assessment of what is happening to a child requires that each aspect
of a child’s
developmental progress is examined, in the context of the child’s age
and stage of
development. This includes knowing whether a child has reached his or
her expected
developmental milestones. Account must be taken of any particular
vulnerabilities,
such as a learning disability or a physically impairing condition, and
the impact they
may be having on progress in any of the developmental dimensions.
Consideration
should also be given to the socially and environmentally disabling
factors which have
an impact on a child’s development, such as limited access for those who
are disabled
and other forms of discrimination. Children who have been maltreated may
suffer
impairment to their development as a result of injuries sustained and/or
the impact of
the trauma caused by their abuse. There must be a clear understanding of
what a
particular child is capable of achieving successfully at each stage of
development, in
order to ensure that he or she has the opportunity to achieve his or her
full potential.
2.4 The child’s developmental dimensions are described on page 19. These
descriptions
are intended to be illustrative rather than comprehensive of the
different components
of each dimension.
2.5 The child development dimensions have been taken from the work of
Roy Parker and
colleagues which was commissioned by the Department of Health (1991) to
find
practical measures to assess the progress of children accommodated in
children’s
homes and foster care, and to improve their outcomes. During the
development stages
of that work, the materials were tested with a large number of families
in the
community and it was found ‘that the Assessment and Action Records can
be used
with parents and children in the community as a means of identifying
difficulties and
discussing how to address them’ (Ward, 1995). These dimensions have
therefore been
demonstrated to be salient for all children.
2.6 When practitioners are undertaking an assessment of a child’s
developmental needs,
they should:
l identify the developmental areas to be
covered and recorded;
l plan how developmental progress is to be
measured;
l ensure proper account is taken of a
child’s age and stage of development;
l analyse information as the basis for
planning future action.
2.7 A number of questionnaires and scales have been assembled
concurrently with the
development of this guidance to assist social services staff, in
particular, in specific
areas when undertaking child and family assessments. Eight have been
published in
The Family Pack of Questionnaires and Scales (Department of Health, Cox
and
Bentovim, 2000) and a further two, the Home Inventory (Caldwell
and Bradley, 1984)
19
DIMENSIONS OF CHILD’S DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS
Health
Includes growth
and development as well as physical and mental wellbeing. The
impact of genetic factors and of any impairment should
be considered. Involves
receiving appropriate health care when ill, an
adequate and nutritious diet, exercise,
immunisations where appropriate and developmental
checks, dental and optical care
and, for older children, appropriate advice and
information on issues that have an
impact on health, including sex education and
substance misuse.
Education
Covers all areas of a child’s cognitive development
which begins from birth.
Includes opportunities:
for play and interaction with other children; to have access to
books; to acquire a range of skills and interests; to
experience success and
achievement. Involves an adult interested in
educational activities, progress and
achievements, who takes account of the child’s
starting point and any special
educational needs.
Emotional and Behavioural Development
Concerns the appropriateness of response demonstrated
in feelings and actions by a
child, initially to parents and caregivers and, as the
child grows older, to others beyond
the family.
Includes nature
and quality of early attachments, characteristics of temperament,
adaptation to change, response to stress and degree of
appropriate self control.
Identity
Concerns the child’s growing sense of self as a separate
and valued person.
Includes the
child's view of self and abilities, self image and self esteem, and having a
positive sense of individuality. Race, religion, age,
gender, sexuality and disability may
all contribute to this. Feelings of belonging and
acceptance by family, peer group and
wider society, including other cultural groups.
Family and Social Relationships
Development of empathy and the capacity to place self
in someone else’s shoes.
Includes a stable
and affectionate relationship with parents or caregivers, good
relationships with siblings, increasing importance of
age appropriate friendships with
peers and other significant persons in the child’s
life and response of family to these
relationships.
Social Presentation
Concerns child’s growing understanding of the way in
which appearance, behaviour,
and any impairment are perceived by the outside world
and the impression being
created.
Includes appropriateness
of dress for age, gender, culture and religion; cleanliness and
personal hygiene; and availability of advice from
parents or caregivers about presentation
in different settings.
Self Care Skills
Concerns the acquisition by a child of practical,
emotional and communication
competencies required for increasing independence.
Includes early practical skills of
dressing and feeding, opportunities to gain confidence
and practical skills to undertake
activities away from the family and independent living
skills as older children.
Includes encouragement
to acquire social problem solving approaches. Special
attention should be given to the impact of a child's
impairment and other vulnerabilities,
and on social circumstances affecting these in the
development of self care
skills.
20
and the Assessment of Family Competence, Strengths and Difficulties developed
by
Bentovim and Bingley Miller (forthcoming) will be published later this
year. In
addition there are others which may be of use to assist the process of
assessment.
2.8 Use of questionnaires and scales enables children and caregivers to
express their views
about their particular circumstances. They have been found also to
identify areas of
concern or difficulty which have not been identified previously through
interviews or
observations.
Dimensions of Parenting Capacity
2.9 Critically important to a child’s health and development is the
ability of parents or
caregivers to ensure that the child’s developmental needs are being
appropriately and
adequately responded to, and to adapt to his or her changing needs over
time. The
parenting tasks are described on page 21. Again, these descriptions are
illustrative
rather than comprehensive of all parenting tasks.
2.10 It is important that parenting capacity be considered in the
context of the family’s
structure and functioning, and who contributes to the parental care of
the child (see
Family and Environmental Factors, paragraphs 2.13 to 2.25).
2.11 In family situations where there is cause for concern about what is
happening to a
child, it becomes even more important to gather information about how
these tasks
are being carried out by each parent or caregiver in terms of:
l their response to a child and his or her
behaviour or circumstances;
l the manner in which they are responding to
the child’s needs and the areas where
they are experiencing difficulties in meeting needs or failing to do so;
l the effect this child has on them;
l the quality of the parent – child
relationship;
l their understanding of the child’s needs
and development;
l their comprehension of parenting tasks and
the relevance of these to the child’s
developmental needs;
l the impact of any difficulties they may be
experiencing themselves on their ability to
carry out parental tasks and responsibilities (distinguishing
realisation from
aspiration);
l the impact of past experiences on their
current parenting capacity;
l their ability to face and accept their
difficulties;
l their ability to use support and accept
help;
l their capacity for adaptation and change
in their parenting response.
Observation of interactions is as critically important as the way they
are described by
the adults involved.
2.12 The parenting tasks undertaken by fathers or father figures should
be addressed
alongside those of mothers or mother figures. In some families, a single
parent may be
21
DIMENSIONS OF PARENTING CAPACITY
Basic Care
Providing for the child’s physical needs, and
appropriate medical and dental care.
Includes provision
of food, drink, warmth, shelter, clean and appropriate clothing
and adequate personal hygiene.
Ensuring Safety
Ensuring the child is adequately protected from harm
or danger.
Includes protection
from significant harm or danger, and from contact with unsafe
adults/other children and from self-harm. Recognition
of hazards and danger both
in the home and elsewhere.
Emotional Warmth
Ensuring the child’s emotional needs are met and
giving the child a sense of being
specially valued and a positive sense of own racial
and cultural identity.
Includes ensuring
the child’s requirements for secure, stable and affectionate
relationships with significant adults, with
appropriate sensitivity and responsiveness
to the child’s needs. Appropriate physical contact,
comfort and cuddling sufficient
to demonstrate warm regard, praise and encouragement.
Stimulation
Promoting child’s learning and intellectual
development through encouragement
and cognitive stimulation and promoting social
opportunities.
Includes facilitating
the child’s cognitive development and potential through
interaction, communication, talking and responding to
the child’s language and
questions, encouraging and joining the child’s play,
and promoting educational
opportunities. Enabling the child to experience
success and ensuring school
attendance or equivalent opportunity. Facilitating
child to meet challenges of life.
Guidance and Boundaries
Enabling the child to regulate their own emotions and
behaviour.
The key parental tasks are demonstrating and
modelling appropriate behaviour and
control of emotions and interactions with others, and guidance
which involves
setting boundaries, so that the child is able to
develop an internal model of moral
values and conscience, and social behaviour
appropriate for the society within
which they will grow up. The aim is to enable the
child to grow into an autonomous
adult, holding their own values, and able to
demonstrate appropriate behaviour
with others rather than having to be dependent on
rules outside themselves. This
includes not over protecting children from exploratory
and learning experiences.
Includes social
problem solving, anger management, consideration for others, and
effective discipline and shaping of behaviour.
Stability
Providing a sufficiently stable family environment to
enable a child to develop and
maintain a secure attachment to the primary
caregiver(s) in order to ensure optimal
development.
Includes:
ensuring secure attachments are not disrupted, providing consistency of
emotional warmth over time and responding in a similar
manner to the same
behaviour. Parental responses change and develop
according to child’s developmental
progress. In addition, ensuring children keep in
contact with important
family members and significant others.
22
performing most or all of the parenting tasks. In others, there may be a
number of
important caregivers in a child’s life, each playing a different part
which may have
positive or negative consequences. A wide range of adults, for example
grandparents,
step relations, child minders or baby sitters, may have a significant
role in caring for a
child. A distinction has to be clearly made between the contribution of
each parent or
caregiver to a child’s wellbeing and development. Where a child has
suffered
significant harm, it is particularly important to distinguish between
the capabilities of
the abusing parent and the potentially protective parent. This
information can also
contribute to an understanding of the impact the parents’ relationship
with each other
may have on their respective capacities to respond appropriately to
their child’s needs.
The quality of the inter-parental relationship, which has an impact on
the child's
wellbeing will be considered more explicitly in the following section on
family and
environmental factors.
Family and Environmental Factors
2.13 The care and upbringing of children does not take place in a
vacuum. All family
members are influenced both positively and negatively by the wider
family, the
neighbourhood and social networks in which they live. The history of the
child’s
family and of individual family members may have a significant impact on
the child
and parents. Some family members, for example, may have grown up in a
completely
different environment to the child, others may have had to leave their
country of
origin because of war or other adverse conditions, and others may have
experienced
abuse and neglect as children.
2.14 The narration and impact of family histories and experiences can
play an important
part in understanding what is happening currently to a family. An
adult's capacity to
parent may be crucially related to his or her childhood experiences of
family life and
past adult experiences prior to the current difficulties. The family may
be in transition,
for example refugee families.
2.15 An understanding of how the family usually functions, and how it
functions when
under stress can be very helpful in identifying what factors may assist
parents in
carrying out their parenting roles. Of particular importance is the
quality and nature
of the relationship between a child’s parents and how this affects the
child. For
example, sustained conflict between parents is detrimental to children’s
welfare. The
quality of relationships between siblings may also be of major
significance to a child's
welfare. Account must be taken of the diversity of family styles and
structures, particularly
who counts as family and who is important to the child.
2.16 The impact of multiple caregivers will need careful exploration,
with an
understanding of the context in which the care is being provided. As
Cleaver
(Department of Health and Cleaver, 2000) writes in the notes of guidance
for use with
the assessment records:
Children can be protected from the adverse
consequences of parenting problems
when someone else meets the child’s developmental
needs.
She adds that it is important to record when there is evidence that no
one is responding
appropriately to the child. In some circumstances children who have a
number of
caregivers may be more vulnerable to being maltreated. Special attention
should be
given to the needs of disabled children who experience multiple
caregivers as part of
their regular routine, and to their need for reasonable continuity of
caregivers.
2.17 In families where a parent is not living in the same household as
the child, it is
23
FAMILY AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Family History and Functioning
Family history includes both genetic and psycho-social
factors.
Family functioning is influenced by who is living in
the household and how they are
related to the child; significant changes in
family/household composition; history of
childhood experiences of parents; chronology of
significant life events and their
meaning to family members; nature of family
functioning, including sibling
relationships and its impact on the child; parental
strengths and difficulties, including
those of an absent parent; the relationship between
separated parents.
Wider Family
Who are considered to be members of the wider family
by the child and the
parents?
Includes related
and non-related persons and absent wider family. What is their role
and importance to the child and parents and in
precisely what way?
Housing
Does the accommodation have basic amenities and
facilities appropriate to the age
and development of the child and other resident
members? Is the housing accessible
and suitable to the needs of disabled family members?
Includes the
interior and exterior of the accommodation and immediate
surroundings. Basic amenities include water, heating,
sanitation, cooking facilities,
sleeping arrangements and cleanliness, hygiene and
safety and their impact on the
child’s upbringing.
Employment
Who is working in the household, their pattern of work
and any changes? What
impact does this have on the child? How is work or
absence of work viewed by
family members? How does it affect their relationship
with the child?
Includes children’s
experience of work and its impact on them.
Income
Income available over a sustained period of time. Is
the family in receipt of all its
benefit entitlements? Sufficiency of income to meet
the family’s needs. The way
resources available to the family are used. Are there
financial difficulties which affect
the child?
Family’s Social Integration
Exploration of the wider context of the local
neighbourhood and community and its
impact on the child and parents.
Includes the
degree of the family’s integration or isolation, their peer groups,
friendship and social networks and the importance
attached to them.
Community Resources
Describes all facilities and services in a
neighbourhood, including universal services
of primary health care, day care and schools, places
of worship, transport, shops and
leisure activities.
Includes availability,
accessibility and standard of resources and impact on the
family, including disabled members.
24
important to identify what role that parent has in the child’s life and
the significance to
the child of the relationship with that parent. It cannot be assumed
that parents who
live apart are estranged. This arrangement may be by mutual agreement.
2.18 A wide range of environmental factors can either help or hinder the
family’s
functioning. Here it is important to think broadly and creatively about
the family and
environmental factors described on the previous page.
2.19 Careful account should be taken of how these factors are
influencing both a child’s
progress and the parents’ responses. This can be illustrated by the
following examples
of the inter-relationship between such factors and a child’s
development:
l Family history
A child may have a genetic condition or pre-disposition, such as sickle
cell disorder
or Huntington’s Chorea, which may affect current or future physical or
mental
health and the need for services.
l Family Functioning
Despite a recent separation, the parents co-operate regarding decisions
about key
events in a 10 year old boy’s life such that he continues to attend the
same school,
maintains a strong group of friends, and is fully supported in his
education by both
parents. This enables him to do well in school.
l Wider family
A child may have developed a close, affectionate attachment to a
friend’s parent
who, over a number of years, compensates for chronic parental problems
in the
family home, giving that child a sense of belonging and selfesteem. This
may
become a resource to be mobilised at the time of family breakdown.
l Housing
Accommodation which is damp, infested and overcrowded may be
contributing to
a low birth weight baby’s failure to thrive and chronic ear, nose and
chest problems,
requiring urgent action.
l Employment
The expectation that a 13 year old girl will assist regularly in the
family business may
result in her sudden failure to keep up with school work and difficult
behaviour in
class.
l Income
A low income over many years and parents’ inability to manage on this
income may
mean a young adolescent being bullied at school simply because he is
wearing
clothes which do not have the correct designer logo.
l Family’s social integration
Constant racial harassment and bullying in a neighbourhood may result in
a
teenager from a minority ethnic family being isolated and excluded from
positive
and affirming friendship group experiences at a formative stage of
developing his
identity.
l Access to community resources
Knowledge of resources available in the community which are accessible and
accommodate disabled children may enable an isolated single mother to
organise
25
out of school care and activities for her 6 year old disabled child,
thus enabling her
to remain in work.
2.20 The complex interplay of factors across all three domains should be
carefully
understood and analysed. Parents may be experiencing their own problems
which
may have an impact through their behaviour on their capacity to respond
to their
child’s needs. This could cover a variety of situations. It could
include parents who are
unable to read or write and are therefore unable to respond to notes
sent home from
school. On the other hand, it could include a child being traumatised by
witnessing
her mother being regularly assaulted by her father.
2.21 The publication Children’s Needs – Parenting Capacity by
Cleaver et al (1999) focuses
on the impact of particular parental problems (mental illness, domestic
violence, drug
and alcohol misuse) on a child’s development while Crossing Bridges (Falkov
(ed)
1998) addresses parental mental illnesses in more detail. Such problems
may adversely
affect a parent's ability to respond to the needs of his or her child.
While some children
grow up apparently unscathed, others exhibit emotional and behavioural
disorders as
a result of these childhood experiences. This knowledge can assist
professionals to be
clear about the impact of a parent’s difficulties on a child. In some
situations, where the
parents’ problems are severe, such as major psychiatric illness or
substance misuse,
there may need to be joint or concurrent assessments; to
examine the parent’s
problems, the impact of those problems on the child, and the effect of
the child on the
parent. Such assessments should be carried out within a clear focus on
the needs of the
child.
2.22 There is increasing knowledge about the characteristics of adults
who maltreat
children. Research has shown a strong association between domestic
violence and
child abuse. It has shown also, that not all parents who have suffered
childhood abuse
or deprivation go on to maltreat their children, but a significant
proportion of parents
who harm their children have been abused themselves (Department of
Health,
1995d).
2.23 The interactions between different factors are often not
straightforward which is why
it is important that:
l information is gathered and recorded
systematically with care and precision;
l information is checked and discussed with
parents and, where appropriate, with the
child;
l differences in views about information and
its importance are clearly recorded;
l the strengths and difficulties within families
are assessed and understood;
l the vulnerabilities and protective factors
in the child’s world are examined;
l the impact of what is happening on the
child is clearly identified.
Chapter 4 elaborates on the processes of analysis, judgement and
decision making
which follow on from the information gathering and collation stages.
2.24 Ward (1995, p.85) in her community study of almost 400 children and
their families
concludes:
It is likely to be the interaction between a number of factors rather
than any specific
26
characteristic that leads to parenting difficulties. Thus most families
are able to
overcome adversities and provide their children with a sufficiently
nurturing
environment, although they may fall down in one or two areas. Only a
very small
proportion are unable to provide a sufficiently consistent standard of
care across all
seven (child development) dimensions, but it is they who form the group
whose
children are most likely to be admitted to care or accommodation.
2.25 The framework for assessment is, therefore, a conceptual map which
can be used to
understand what is happening to all children in whatever circumstances
they may be
growing up. For most children referred or whose families seek help, the
issues of
concern will be relatively straightforward, parents will be clear about
requiring
assistance and the impact on the child will not be difficult to
identify. For a smaller
number of children, the causes for concern will be serious and complex
and the
relationship between their needs, their parents’ responses and the
circumstances in
which they are living, less straightforward. In these situations,
further, more detailed
and, in some cases, specialist assessment will be required. These issues
are considered
in the next chapter on the process of assessment.
Inclusive Practice
2.26 The Assessment Framework is predicated on the principle that
children are children
first, whatever may distinguish some children from others. This poses a
challenge for
staff - how to develop inclusive practice which recognises that all
children share the
same developmental needs to reach their optimal potential but that the
rate or pattern
of progress of individual children may vary because of factors
associated with health
and impairment. At the same time, due weight needs to be given to other
important
influences on children’s development. Prominent amongst these are
genetic factors,
the quality of attachment to primary caregivers and the quality of
everyday life
experiences.
2.27 When assessing a child’s needs and circumstances, care has to be
taken to ensure that
issues which fundamentally shape children’s identity and wellbeing,
their progress and
outcomes are fully understood and incorporated into the framework for
assessment.
Dutt and Phillips (Department of Health, 2000a) write:
Issues of race and culture cannot be added to a list for separate
consideration during
an assessment, they are integral to the assessment process. From
referral through to
core assessment, intervention and planning, race and culture have to be
taken
account of using an holistic framework for assessment.
2.28 In assessing the needs of children, practitioners have to take
account of diversity in
children, understand its origins and pay careful attention to its impact
on a child’s
development and the interaction with parental responses and wider family
and
environmental factors.
2.29 Use of the framework requires that children and families’
differences must be
approached with knowledge and sensitivity in a non-judgemental way.
Ignorance can
result in stereotyping and in inappropriate or even damaging assumptions
being
made, resulting in a lack of accuracy and balance in analysing
children’s needs. To
achieve sensitive and inclusive practice, staff should avoid:
l using one set of cultural assumptions and
stereotypes to understand the child and
family’s circumstances;
l insensitivity to racial and cultural
variations within groups and between
individuals;
l making unreasoned assumptions without
evidence;
l failing to take account of experiences of
any discrimination in an individual’s
response to public services;
l failing to take account of the barriers
which prevent the social integration of
families with disabled members;
l attaching meaning to information without
confirming the interpretation with the
child and family members.
2.30 The use of the framework, derived from children’s developmental needs
and which
also takes account of the context in which they are growing up, takes on
more
significance in relation to children for whom discrimination is likely
to be part of their
life experience. Such children and their families may suffer subsequent disadvantage
and a failure of access to appropriate services. It is for this reason
that chapters have
been included in the practice guidance which consider in more detail
issues of race and
culture and of disability in assessing the needs of children in the
context of their family
and their environment.
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
2.31 Under Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (rights of
access to goods,
facilities and services) service providers, including social services
departments and
health but not as yet education, must not discriminate against disabled
people
(including children) by refusing to provide any service which is
provided to members
of the public, by providing a lower standard of service or offering a
service on less
favourable terms. These requirements came into force on 2 December 1996.
2.32 Since October 1999, service providers have had to take reasonable
steps to:
l change any policy, practice or procedure
which makes it impossible or unreasonably
difficult for disabled people to make use of services;
l provide an auxiliary aid or service if it
would enable (or make easier for) disabled
people to make use of services; and
l provide a reasonable alternative method of
making services available to disabled
people where a physical feature makes it impossible or unreasonably
difficult for
disabled people to make use of them.
2.33 From 2004 service providers will have to take reasonable steps to
remove, alter or
provide reasonable means of avoiding physical features that make it
impossible or
unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use the services.
27
29
Process of Assessment and Timing
3.1 Assessment is the first stage in helping a vulnerable child and his
or her family, its
purpose being ‘to contribute to the understanding necessary for
appropriate planning’
(Compton and Galaway, 1989) and action. Assessment has several phases
which
overlap and lead into planning, action and review:
l clarification of source of referral and
reason;
l acquisition of information;
l exploring facts and feelings;
l giving meaning to the situation which
distinguishes the child and family’s
understanding and feelings from those of the professionals;
l reaching an understanding of what is
happening, problems, strengths and
difficulties, and the impact on the child (with the family wherever
possible);
l drawing up an analysis of the needs of the
child and parenting capacity within their
family and community context as a basis for formulating a plan.
3.2 Prior to social services departments becoming involved with a child
and family, a
number of other agencies and community based groups may have had contact
with
the family. For some children, assessments will have already been
carried out for
purposes other than determining whether they are a child in need. In
particular, health
and education will have undertaken routine assessments as part of
monitoring
children’s developmental progress. The familiarity of other agencies
with the
Assessment Framework will assist when making a referral to a social
services
department or contributing to an assessment of a child in need, thereby
facilitating a
common understanding of the child’s needs within their family context.
3.3 The response from social services departments to an initial contact
or a referral
requesting help is critically important. At that point the foundation is
laid for future
work with the child or family. Children and families may have contact
with social
services staff in a wide range of settings. These may be as diverse as a
family or day
centre, a social services area office, an accident and emergency, adult
or paediatric unit
in a hospital, an education setting, an adolescent drop-in service or
specialist services
for adults. Not all staff in these settings will be professionals or
qualified in work with
children and families. This will apply particularly to those who work
predominantly
3 The
Process of Assessing Children in Need
with adults. Whoever has first contact with a child or family member,
however, has a
vital role in influencing the course of future work. It is quite clear
from research that
the quality of the early or initial contact affects later working
relationships with professionals.
Furthermore, recording of information about the initial contact or
referral
contributes to the first phase of assessment. It is essential,
therefore, that all staff
responding to families or to referrers are familiar with the principles
which underpin
the Assessment Framework and are aware of the importance of the
information
collected and recorded at this stage.
3.4 For unqualified or inexperienced staff, the NSPCC chart Referrals
Involving A Child
(Cleaver et al, 1998) may act as a useful aide memoire to ensure
that important
information, which will assist later decision making, is not overlooked.
It should not
be treated as a check list but, used alongside local agency referral
forms, it can serve as
a reminder of:
l issues which may need to be covered in a
response to the referrer;
l matters raised by the referrer that should
be recorded.
The chart is included in Appendix C.
3.5 Arrangements for managing the reception of initial contacts or
referrals vary widely
according to local circumstances. It is important that social services
for adults are
aware of their responsibilities to children of adults who have parenting
responsibilities
and ensure that an initial assessment takes place to ascertain whether
the children are
children in need under s17 of the Children Act 1989 (Department of
Health,
forthcoming, a).
3.6 It is important also that each social services department has
structures and systems in
place to ensure an effective, accessible and speedy response to children
and families.
Some local authorities are developing innovative approaches to referrals
and initial
assessment. These include local telephone help lines, help desks,
multi-agency
information and advice centres and drop-in services. An example of this
is the help
desk service established in a rural county below (Figure 3). When there
are such
arrangements, it becomes imperative that reception staff are carefully
selected and
30
FEATURES:
l one accessible,
responsive point of contact in a district for child and family
referrals.
l staffed by a
team of specially selected and trained unqualified referral and
information co-ordinators, administrative reception
staff, qualified social
workers (to undertake assessments of children whose
welfare may need
safeguarding and promoting) and a team manager.
l priority to
provide a safe short term service at the front end through:
– advice and advocacy eg. welfare benefits
– information
– help eg. by signposting
– referral taking by telephone and personal interview
– initial and core assessments of children in need
– direct access to practical services
Figure 3 Helpdesk for Children’s Services in a
Rural County
31
trained for their tasks. Reception staff will also need the support of
qualified practitioners
and managers to ensure that situations of serious or immediate concern
about
a child receive prompt and expert professional attention.
3.7 Time, as discussed in Chapter 1, is critical in a child’s life. A
timely response to
responding to a child’s needs means that the process of assessment
cannot continue
unchecked over a prolonged period without an analysis being made of what
is
happening and what action is needed, however difficult or complex the
child’s circumstances.
Prior to the publication of the Government's Objectives for children’s
social
services (Department of Health, 1999e), no timescales had been set for
completing
assessments of children in need, although there had been timescales for
action to be
taken to protect children where there were concerns that a child was
suffering or likely
to suffer significant harm. This has now been remedied and timescales
have been
specified in the objectives for children’s social services.
3.8 There is an expectation that within one working day of a
referral being received or
new information coming to or from within a social services department
about an open
case, there will be a decision about what response is required. A
referral is defined as a
request for services to be provided by the social services department.
The response may
include no action, but that is itself a decision and should be made
promptly and
recorded. The referrer should be informed of the decision and its
rationale, as well as
the parents or caregivers and the child, if appropriate.
3.9 A decision to gather more information constitutes an initial
assessment. An initial
assessment is defined as a brief assessment of each child referred to
social services with
a request for services to be provided. This should be undertaken within
a maximum of
7 working days but could be very brief depending on the
child's circumstances. It
should address the dimensions of the Assessment Framework, determining
whether
the child is in need, the nature of any services required, from where
and within what
timescales, and whether a further, more detailed core assessment should
be
undertaken. An initial assessment is deemed to have commenced at the
point of
referral to the social services department or when new information on an
open case
indicates an initial assessment should be repeated. All staff responding
to referrals and
undertaking initial assessments should address the dimensions which
constitute the
Assessment Framework. There is more detailed discussion about the
contribution of
respective agencies in Chapter 5.
3.10 Depending on the child's circumstances, an initial assessment may
include some or all
of the following:
l interviews with child and family members,
as appropriate;
l involvement of other agencies in gathering
and providing information, as
appropriate;
l consultation with supervisor/manager;
l record of initial analysis;
l decisions on further action/no action;
l record of decisions/rationale with
family/agencies;
l informing other agencies of the decisions;
32
l statement to the family of decisions made
and, if a child is in need, the plan for
providing support.
As part of any initial assessment, the child should be seen. This
includes observation
and talking with the child in an age appropriate manner. This is further
discussed in
paragraphs 3.41 to 3.43.
3.11 A core assessment is defined as an in-depth assessment which
addresses the central or
most important aspects of the needs of a child and the capacity of his
or her parents or
caregivers to respond appropriately to these needs within the wider
family and
community context. While this assessment is led by social services, it
will invariably
involve other agencies or independent professionals, who will either
provide
information they hold about the child or parents, contribute specialist
knowledge or
advice to social services or undertake specialist assessments. Specific
assessments of the
child and/or family members may have already been undertaken prior to
referral to
the social services department. The findings from these should inform
this assessment.
At the conclusion of this phase of assessment, there should be an
analysis of the
findings which will provide an understanding of the child’s
circumstances and inform
planning, case objectives and the nature of service provision. The
timescale for
completion of the core assessment is a maximum of 35 working days.
A core
assessment is deemed to have commenced at the point the initial
assessment ended, or
a strategy discussion decided to initiate enquiries under s47, or new
information
obtained on an open case indicates a core assessment should be
undertaken. Where
specialist assessments have been commissioned by social services from
other agencies
or independent professionals, it is recognised that they will not necessarily
be
completed within the 35 working day period. Appropriate services should
be provided
whilst awaiting the completion of the specialist assessment.
3.12 The Department of Health has published an Initial Assessment
Record, which has
been developed for all staff to record salient information about a
child’s needs, the
parents’ capacity and the family’s circumstances, to assist in
determining the social
services’ response and whether a core assessment should be considered.
This record is
consistent with the Core Assessment Record. These have been
developed to assist in
assessing the child’s developmental needs in an age appropriate manner
for the
following age bands: 0–2 years, 3–4 years, 5–9 years, 10–14 years and 15
and
upwards. These age bands are the same as those used in Looking After
Children
Assessment and Action Records (Department
of Health, 1995b). The initial and core
assessment recording forms have been designed to assist in the analysis
of a child and
family’s circumstances (Department of Health and Cleaver, 2000) and in
the
development and reviewing of a plan of action.
3.13 At the conclusion of either an initial or core assessment, the
parent(s) and child, if
appropriate, should be informed in writing, and/or in another more appropriate
medium, of the decisions made and be offered the opportunity to record
their views,
disagreements and to ask for corrections to recorded information.
Agencies and
individuals involved in the assessment should also be informed of the
decisions, with
reasons for these made clear. This sharing of information is important
to assist
agencies’ own practice in their work with the child and family. Local
authorities are
required by section 26 of the Children Act 1989 to establish complaints
procedures,
and children and parents should be provided with information about
these. Parents
33
Figure 4 Maximum Timescales for Analysing the Needs
of Child and Parenting
Capacity
Initial assessment/planning/intervention
Timescale: maximum of seven working days
Referral to SSD
Decision Response
Timescale: maximum of one
working day
Initial assessment
Strategy discussion
Children in need
where there are
concerns about
significant harm
Core assessment/planning/intervention
Timescale: maximum of 35 working days
Decision to undertake
core assessment
Section 47 enquiries
Core and specialist
assessments/planning/
interventions
Child protection
conference
Analysis of needs of child
and parenting capacity
Children in need
Further assessments (if
necessary), planning,
intervention and review
End of contact with SSD
34
who have a complaint about a particular agency's services should take it
up with the
agency concerned.
3.14 The maximum timescales for completing an analysis of the
needs of children and the
parenting capacity to respond to those needs are represented in Figure
4. The needs of
some children, in particular those who require emergency intervention,
may mean
that the initial assessment stage is brief. It may also be brief where
the needs of the child
can be determined in a period of less than seven working days. The same
considerations
apply to the minimum and maximum timescales for the core assessment.
S47 and Core Assessment
3.15 At any stage, should there be suspicions or allegations about child
maltreatment and
concern that the child may be or is likely to suffer significant harm,
there must be
strategy discussions and inter-agency action in accordance with the
guidance in
Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999).
Assessment of what is happening to a
child in these circumstances is not a separate or different activity but
continues the
same process, although the pace and scope of assessment may well have
changed (see
paragraphs 5.33 to 5.38 in Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999)).
A key part
of the assessment will be to establish whether there is reasonable cause
to suspect that
this child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm and
whether any emergency
action is required to secure the safety of the child.
3.15 The way in which the initial and core assessments have been
integrated into the
processes for children who are considered to be, or likely to be
suffering significant
harm are set out in Figure 5. This flow chart concerning individual
cases is reproduced
from Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999, p.116).
3.16 As indicated in paragraphs 5.39 to 5.41 of Working Together to
Safeguard Children
(1999) sometimes it will be appropriate to undertake an investigative
interview of a
child who may have been a victim to a crime or a witness, with a view to
gathering
evidence for criminal proceedings. These interviews should take account
of
information known from any previous assessments. A child should never be
interviewed in the presence of an alleged or suspected perpetrator of
abuse, or
somebody who may be colluding with a perpetrator. The guidance (which is
currently
being revised) in the Memorandum of Good Practice on video recorded
interviews for
child witnesses for criminal proceedings (Home
Office and Department of Health,
1992) should be followed for all video-recorded investigative interviews
with
children.
3.17 All such interviews with children should be conducted by those with
specialist
training and experience in interviewing children. Additional specialist
help may be
necessary if the child's first language is not English; the child
appears to have a degree
of psychiatric disturbance but is deemed competent; the child has an
impairment; or
where interviewers do not have adequate knowledge and understanding of
the child's
racial, religious or cultural background. Consideration should also be
given to the
gender of interviewers particularly in cases of alleged sexual abuse.
3.18 Following the publication of Speaking Up For Justice (Home
Office, 1998), the report
of the Working Group on Vulnerable or Intimidated Witnesses, Part II of
the Youth
35
Children in Need
Services
Child in Need
Possible
Significant Harm
NFA
Not Registered
Registered
Core Group
Meeting
NFA Charge Outline
CP Plan
Core
Assessment
Children in Need
Services
NFA
Child
Not in Need
NFA
Section 47
Enquiry
Criminal
Investigation
Reviewed
CP Plan
Referral
out
Initial
Assessment
Suspected
Crime
Child in
Need
Significant
Harm
Confirmed
Initial
Child
Protection
Conference
Detailed
CP Plan
Child in Need
No Significant
Harm
No Child
Protection
Conference
Children in Need
Services
Review
Conference
Further Review
Conference(s)
Emergency Intervention?
Referral
Strategy Deregistered
Discussion
Figure 5 Working Together to Safeguard Children
(Individual Cases Flowchart)
36
Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 extends the range of measures
available to
assist child witnesses.
The Act provides different levels of protection for three groups of
child witnesses
according to the nature of assistance each group is considered to need.
These are:
l All children in need of special protection
– because they are giving evidence in a case
that involves a sexual and/or violent offence – will give video-recorded
evidence-inchief
unless this would not be in the interests of justice.
l Children under 17 who are giving evidence
in a case involving violence, neglect,
abduction or false imprisonment will be cross-examined via a live link
at the trial.
l When facilities are available, children
under 17 who are giving evidence in a sexual
offence case will be cross-examined at a video-recorded pre-trial
hearing unless the
child informs the court that he would prefer to be cross-examined at
trial (on live
link or in court).
There is a presumption that all children who are giving evidence in
cases involving
other offences will give evidence-in-chief by means of a video
recording, and will be
cross-examined on live link at the trial.
3.19 The Act also provides a range of other measures to assist child
witnesses including:
l assistance with communication;
l the use of an intermediary to assist with
the questioning;
l screening the witness from the accused in
court;
l the removal by judges of their wigs and
gowns;
l clearing the public gallery in sexual
offence cases.
The majority of these measures will be available to the Crown Court and
youth courts
by the end of 2000.
Use of Assessments in Family Proceedings
3.20 It may be appropriate to use evidence gathered during the
assessment process for
family proceedings. This may arise where an assessment has been
completed before
the commencing of proceedings or because it is necessary to undertake an
assessment
during the proceedings. The following paragraphs
set out some issues around the
interface between the assessment processes and reporting in writing in
family
proceedings.
3.21 The term family proceedings is one that is defined
statutorily in section 8 of the
Children Act 1989. It includes all public law applications (care,
adoption, emergency
protection, contact) and a large range of private law matters concerning
divorce and
separation, including those within applications under section 8 for
contact, residence,
specific issue and prohibited steps.
Care Applications and Assessment
3.22 In court proceedings involving the local authority, such as an
application for a care or
37
supervision order, the local authority’s main evidence will be set out
by way of one or
more formal statements. These include the relevant history and the facts
to support
the threshold criteria (ie. significant harm) for an order under
section 31. Information
concerning the welfare checklist (section 1(3)) to which the
court must have regard
will also be included in the application.
3.23 Before making any order, the court must also consider the no
order principle (section
1(5)). The court will look to the detail of the local authority’s care
plan for evidence as
to how the care order, if made, would be implemented. Guidance about the
structure
and contents of care plans was issued in 1999 (Care Plans and Care
Proceedings under
the Children Act 1989 LAC (99(29)).
3.24 Evidence arising from assessments may be used within the
proceedings in one or more
of the following ways by providing evidence:
l in support of the threshold criteria;
l around issues in the welfare checklist;
l about the rationale for the overall aim of
the care plan or specific details within it
(such as contact arrangements).
Disclosure
3.25 In family proceedings, documents produced by parties are normally
shared among all
parties – typically, the local authority, the parents and the guardian
ad litem. It should
be remembered that an assessment undertaken for the purpose of the
proceedings will
generate information for the court and this cannot, save
exceptionally with the court's
agreement, be withheld in full or in part because aspects may be
unfavourable to one
of the parties.
3.26 Assessments may be commissioned before the commencement of court
proceedings
or where such proceedings have not been anticipated. Where such an
assessment
includes information, opinions and recommendations from professionals
not
employed by the local authority (such as specialists in child and
adolescent mental
health), those persons should be advised that their contribution may be
used in family
proceedings.
3.27 Appendix D sets out a number of practice issues to be considered
when using
information gathered during assessment for family proceedings.
Court Sanctioned Assessments
3.28 A range of assessments may be made without legal restriction in
respect of a child who
is not the subject of care or related court applications.
3.29 Section 38(6) provides that where the Court makes an interim care
order or interim
supervision order it may give such directions (if any) as it considers
appropriate with
regard to the medical or psychiatric examination or other assessment of
the child. By
subsection (7) a direction may be to the effect that there is to be no
such examination
or assessment unless the Court directs otherwise.
3.30 Rule 18 of the Family Proceedings Courts (Children Act 1989) Rules
1991 provides
38
that no person may without leave of the Justice’s Clerk or the Court
cause the child to
be medically or psychiatrically examined, or otherwise assessed, for the
purpose of the
preparation of expert evidence for use in the proceedings. (See also
paragraphs 3.61 to
3.62 in An Introduction to the Children Act 1989 (1989) which
deal with assessments in
the context of care proceedings.) There are corresponding Rules for the
County and
High Court. Where care proceedings are underway, the nature and scope of
any
specialist assessment to be commissioned should be discussed in advance
with legal
advisers. Legal advisers will also help ensure that the implications of
relevant case law,
Practice Directions, Human Rights Act 1998, European Court of Human
Rights
judgments and other authoritative guidance are brought to the attention
of those
preparing assessments and subsequent reports for courts.
Oral Evidence
3.31 The assessment provides the basis for formal written evidence for
use in the
proceedings. However, it may be necessary for the professional(s)
undertaking the
assessment to give additional evidence orally. In family proceedings,
there is less
emphasis on restrictions such as hearsay and generally the proceedings
are considered
to be less adversarial than non-family cases. The key worker should
liaise closely with
the local authority legal department in anticipating those issues likely
to be raised.
Working with Children and Families
3.32 Gathering information and making sense of a family’s situation are
key phases in the
process of assessment. It is not possible to do this without the
knowledge and
involvement of the family. It requires direct work with children and
with family
members, explaining what is happening, why an assessment is being
undertaken, what
will be the process and what is likely to be the outcome. Gaining the
family’s cooperation
and commitment to the work is crucially important. Families often have a
number of fears and anxieties about approaching social services
departments for help
or about being referred to them by other agencies. Parents are fearful,
for instance, that
they will be perceived as failing in some way (Cleaver and Freeman,
1995; Aldgate and
Bradley, 1999). They are also very clear about what they value from the
professionals
they meet, even in the most difficult circumstances. In particular,
parents ask for clear
explanations, openness and honesty, and to be treated with respect and
dignity.
Children’s needs for explanations of what is happening may sometimes be
overlooked.
They should be informed clearly and sensitively even when they do not
communicate
through speech and where professionals may be unclear how much of what
is being
said is understood. They do not want to be kept in the dark or
patronised. Studies have
found that ‘children are particularly sensitive to professionals who
treat them
personally, with care, and above all respect’ (Jones and Ramchandani,
1999). It is
especially important to help children handle uncertainty while plans are
being
formulated.
3.33 Different ways of providing explanations to families have been
developed, some in
written form accompanying the use of local authority records or
materials for
gathering information, which are shared with family members. An example
of one
such approach developed by a local authority is included above (Figure
6). Other local
authorities have produced leaflets for families or use materials
published by specialist
39
What is an assessment?
l Either you, or
someone else on your behalf, has asked the social services
departments for help with some difficulty you are
having which affects your
child (or children).
l Before we can
help you, we need to know more about you and your family. This
will involve collecting information, talking this
through with you and agreeing
what might be done. We call this an assessment.
Why is an assessment being carried out?
l Through making
an assessment of your situation, it should be possible to see
what help and support you and your family might need,
and who could best give
that help.
l Information
will be gathered and written down. Although social workers and
other professionals will normally take the lead in
completing the assessment, this
should always be done in a way which helps you to have
your say, and
encourages you to take part.
l Any information
you give to us will be held in confidence within the social
services department. If there is a need to discuss
this information with anyone
else, we will normally ask for your permission. The
only exception to this is if
information comes to light which, in the social
worker's view, may indicate a
serious threat to the welfare of your child. If this
is the case, you will be told what
your rights are in this new situation.
What will happen?
l Completing an
assessment usually means the social worker will meet with you
and members of your family a number of times.
l When children
are old enough to take part in the assessment, the social worker
will encourage and help them to do so.
l The assessment
will take into consideration your ethnic and cultural background.
If required, help will be provided in your first
language.
l When other
people are already helping you and your family, it is likely the social
worker will talk to them too. We shall discuss this
with you.
l If you do not
agree with what the social worker says in the assessment, there will
be an opportunity for you to record your point of view
on the assessment record.
l The purpose of
assessment is to draw up a plan of action to address the needs of
your child (or children) and how you might need help
to respond to these. You
will be given a copy of the plan.
What will be expected of you?
l We know that
almost all parents want to do their best for their children, and
completing the assessment will help the social workers
recognise the strengths
you and your family have, as well as your
difficulties.
l We can help you
best if you tell us about what you do well in your family and
your difficulties. We will keep you informed about
what we are doing and
thinking.
l An assessment
is an important part of our working with you. In a very small
number of cases, there are serious concerns about a
child’s safety. Making sure
the child is safe will be our first concern. Please
ask your social worker to explain
this to you. You have a right to know.
Figure 6 Explaining Assessment to Family Members:
An Example Accompanying a
Written Record
groups such as Family Rights Group, NSPCC or Who Cares? Trust. Key to
the use of
written materials is that they must be accompanied by direct
communication and
involvement by practitioners with family members and that repeated
explanations
may be necessary.
3.34 The issues of working with children and families where there are
concerns that a child
is being maltreated are explored in The Challenge of Partnership in
Child Protection
(Department of Health, 1995a). That publication provides detailed
practice guidance
about how to work with families throughout the process of enquiries
being made and
action taken to protect a child. It warns that ‘those under the stress
associated with
allegations of child abuse may drift away from a working method which is
sensitive to
families’ needs and which encourages their participation in the process’
(p.46).
3.35 There will be situations where family members do not wish to work
co-operatively
with statutory agencies. This may be for a variety of reasons; they are
too afraid or they
believe they or their child have no problem or they are generally
hostile to public
welfare agencies. They may be resistant because of the nature of their
own difficulties,
such as psychiatric illness or problems of alcohol and drug misuse, or
because of
allegations being made against them. Whatever the reasons for their
resistance, the
door to co-operation should be kept open. At the very least, family
members should be
informed of what is happening and how they could participate more fully.
Ways
should be explored to engage some family members in the assessment
process. The
experience of research and practice confirms that, even after initial
difficulties, the
prospect of working in partnership with one or more family members may
not be lost
for ever, and that to do so will have long term beneficial outcomes for
the child and
family. The desirability of working with family members, however, must
not override
the importance of ensuring that children are safe.
3.36 Where there is resistance, ‘a determination not to be overwhelmed,
distracted or
immobilised by the parents’ initial response is essential’ (Department
of Health,
1995a). However, in a small number of instances, resistance to
co-operation by a
parent is accompanied by overtly aggressive, abusive or threatening
behaviour or by
more subtle underlying menace. Staff may be aware of the threat and in
response
either avoid family contact or unwisely place themselves in situations
of danger
(Cleaver et al, 1998). It is in these circumstances that access
to available, skilled, expert
supervision is essential so that the nature of the threat can be
understood, the
implications for the child and other family members identified and
strategies found
for maintaining work with the family. These may include co-working with
40
What can you expect of us?
l We will listen
carefully to what you have to say, offer advice and, if necessary,
support to help you bring up your children and resolve
your difficulties.
l We know that
with a little help most families can sort out their own problems,
and our aim is to help you do that.
l We will try our
best to offer you any services you need as soon as possible. But
there are often many more people needing services than
there are services to
give. This means that sometimes although everyone is
agreed that you need a
service, it might not be available at the time. If
this happens we will always look
to find an alternative, but we cannot guarantee to
provide a particular service.
41
experienced staff within or across agencies, changing times and venue
for meetings
with the family and other measures. Concerns about such matters should
always be
taken seriously and acted upon. It may be necessary to involve the
expertise of professionals
from a number of agencies to arrive at an understanding of the risks a
particular
individual may pose to the safety of staff, as well as to family
members.
Planning Assessment
3.37 Gathering information requires careful planning. However difficult
the circumstances,
the purpose of assessing the particular child and the family
should always be
kept in mind and the impact of the process on the child and family
considered. It has
to be remembered that:
l the aim is to clarify and identity the
needs of the child;
l the process of assessment should be
helpful and as unintrusive to the child and
family as possible;
l families do not want to be subjected to
repeated assessments by different agencies;
l if, during the assessment, the child’s
safety is or becomes a concern, it must be
secured before proceeding with the assessment.
3.38 It is essential, therefore, that the process of assessment should
be carefully planned,
whatever the pressure to begin work. ‘Preparation, process and outcome
are
inextricably linked’ (Adcock, 2000). This planning should take place in
discussion
with the child and family members unless to do so would place the child
at increased
risk of significant harm (Working Together to Safeguard Children,
1999, paragraph 5.6).
As part of the preparation, key questions should be considered:
l Who will undertake the assessment and what
resources will be needed?
l Who in the family will be included and how
will they be involved (remembering
absent or live-out family members, wider family and others significant
to the child)?
l In what groupings will the child and
family members be seen and in what order?
l Are there communication issues? If so,
what are the specific communication needs
and how will they be met?
l What methods of collecting information
will be used? Which questionnaires and
scales will be used?
l What information is already available?
l What other sources of knowledge about the
child and family are available and how
will other agencies and professionals who know the family be informed
and
involved? How will family members consent be gained?
l Where will assessment take place?
l What will be the timescale?
l How will information be recorded?
l How will it be analysed and who will be
involved?
42
3.39 The nature of concerns about a child’s needs will determine how the
process is carried
out and the extent of detail collected. The greater the concern, the
greater the need for
specificity, for use of specialist knowledge and judgement in the
process and,
therefore, the need for careful co-ordination and management of work
with the family
and other agencies. The more complex or difficult the child’s situation,
the more
important it will be that multiple sources of information are used.
These may include:
l Direct work with the child through shared activities, interviews, questionnaires,
scales and play, which are age and culturally appropriate to the child’s
age,
development and culture.
l Direct work with the parents through interviews with one or more parental
members; parental discussions; taking parental histories; using scales,
questionnaires
and other resources to gain a shared view of parental issues and
parental
functioning.
l Direct work with the family through interviews with the family in appropriate
groupings of family members; taking family histories; using scales,
questionnaires
and other resources to gain a shared view of family issues and family
functioning.
l Direct work with the child and current
caregivers, if the child is not living with
parents.
l Observation of
the child alone and of the child/parent(s)/caregiver(s) interaction.
Consideration should be given to doing this in the home, in school (both
classroom
and play areas) and with friends as well as family members.
l Other sources of knowledge, including those who have known the child over time,
such as the midwife, health visitor, general practitioner, nursery staff
or school
teachers, and others who know the family such as staff from voluntary
agencies,
housing departments and adult health and social services. Other
professionals may
have become involved with the child or other children in the family for
a specific
purpose, for example educational psychologists, speech therapists, youth
offending
team members. Police and probation may also be important sources of
information
where there are concerns about a child or family members’ safety.
l Other information held on files and
records and from previous assessments.
These should always be carefully checked as far as possible.
l Specialist assessments from a range of professionals may be commissioned to
provide specific understanding about an aspect of the child’s
development, parental
strengths and difficulties or the family’s functioning. The timing of
these and their
particular contribution to the analysis of the child’s needs and the
plan of
intervention will require careful consideration.
3.40 As a general principle, any records of assessments, plans or
reports should be routinely
shared with family members and children as appropriate, in addition to
being shared
with relevant professionals. These may require explanation and re-explanation
to
family members. Copies of assessments and plans, in their first
language, should be
given to family members wherever possible. Care should be taken to
ensure that the
meaning and implications of assessments are understood by the child and family
members, as far as is possible.
43
Communicating with Children
3.41 In responding to a request for help or a referral, the importance
of working with family
members has been emphasised. However, if the process of assessment is to
be child
centred, an understanding of what is happening to the child cannot only
be gained
from information contributed by family members or other professionals
who know
the child. Direct work with children is an essential part of assessment,
as well as
recognising their rights to be involved and consulted about matters
which affect their
lives. This applies to all children, including disabled children.
Communicating with
some disabled children requires more preparation, sometimes more time
and on
occasions specialist expertise, and consultation with those closest to
the child. For
example, for children with communication difficulties it may be
necessary to use
alternatives to speech such as signs, symbols, facial expression, eye
pointing, objects of
reference or drawing. Communicating with a child with very complex
difficulties may
benefit from help of a third party who knows the child well and is
familiar with the
child's communication methods (see Chapter 3 in Department of Health,
2000a).
Children whose first language is not English should have the opportunity
to speak to
a professional in their first language, wherever possible. It is
particularly important at
turning points in their lives that ‘children are enabled to express
their wishes and
feelings; make sense of their circumstances and contribute to decisions
that affect
them’ (NSPCC et al, 1997).
3.42 It is essential that a child’s safety is addressed, if appropriate,
during the course of
undertaking direct work with him or her. There are five critical
components in direct
work with children: seeing, observing, talking, doing and engaging:
l Seeing children: an assessment cannot be made without seeing the child, however
young and whatever the circumstances. The more complex or unclear a
situation or
the greater the level of concern, the more important it will be to see
the child
regularly and to take note of appearance, physical condition, emotional
wellbeing,
behaviour and any changes which are occurring.
l Observing children: the child’s responses and interactions in different situations
should be carefully observed wherever possible, alone, with siblings,
with parents
and/or caregivers or in school or other settings. Children may hide or suppress
their
feelings in situations which are difficult or unsafe for them, so it is
important that
general conclusions are not reached from only limited observations.
l Engaging children: this involves developing a relationship with children so that
they can be enabled to express their thoughts, concerns and opinions as
part of the
process of helping them make real choices, in a way that is age and
developmentally
appropriate. Children should clearly understand the parameters within
which they
can exercise choice. In offering children such options, adults must not
abdicate
their responsibilities for taking decisions about a child’s welfare.
l Talking to children: although this may seem an obvious part of communicating
with children, it is clear from research that this is often not done at
all or not done
well. It requires time, skill, confidence and careful preparation by
practitioners.
Issues of geographical distance, culture, language or communication
needs because
of impairments may require specific consideration before deciding how
best to
communicate with the child. Children themselves are particularly
sensitive to how
and when professionals talk to them and consult them. Their views must
be sought
before key meetings. Again, a range of opportunities for talking to
children may be
needed, appropriate to the child’s circumstances, age and stage of
development,
which may include talking to the child on their own, in a family meeting
or
accompanied by or with the assistance of a trusted person.
l Activities with children: undertaking activities with children can have a number of
purposes and beneficial effects. It is important that they are
activities which the
child understands and enjoys, in which trust with the worker can develop
and
which give the child an experience of safety. They can allow positive
interaction
between the worker and the child to grow and enable the professional to
gain a
better understanding of the child’s responses and needs.
3.43 Children have been asked what they consider to be good professional
practice. They
value social workers who:
3.44 The exercise of professional judgement will be important in
deciding when and how
to communicate with children during the assessment process and how to
interpret
their communication in the context of the circumstances. Consideration
should be
given as to how children are informed and involved at each stage of the
process, so that
they have the opportunity to agree what the key issues are, what they
would like to
happen and to discuss what is possible and not possible. ‘Children need
to trust that
they will be understood as individuals in their own right; usually they
will want
reassurance about what their parent/carer will be told about what they
say’ (Brandon,
1999).
3.45 Consideration of when and how to involve specific professionals
with expertise and
experience in assessing children’s development will also be important
throughout the
assessment process. Professionals in a variety of child welfare agencies
may be able to
assist social services staff through discussion or advice based on their
understanding
and interpretation of information and views gathered from children.
There may,
however, be aspects of children’s development and behaviour which
require specialist
assessment, either by joint work or referral to specific agencies. For
example, assessing
the strength of a child’s attachment to a parent in circumstances of
maltreatment or
the educational potential of a school leaver who is living rough on the
streets and
seeking help. Children will require careful and straightforward
explanations about
why new professionals are being involved.
44
l Listen – carefully and without trivialising or being
dismissive of the issues raised;
l are available
and accessible – regular and predictable contact;
l are non-judgemental
and non-directive – accepting, explaining and suggesting
options and choices;
l have a sense of
humour – it helps to build a rapport;
l are straight-talking
– with realism and reliability; no ‘false promises’;
l can be trusted
– maintain confidentiality and consult with children before taking
matters forward.
Butler and Williamson (1994) reproduced from Turning
Points: A Resource Pack for
Communicating with Children. Introduction. pp. 1–2. (1997)
Consent and Confidentiality
3.46 When a family approaches social services for help or is referred,
the family is generally
the first and most important source of information about the child and
the family’s
circumstances. However, in establishing whether this is a child in need
and how best
those needs may be met, it is likely to be important to gather
information from a
number of professionals who have contact with and knowledge of the child
and
family.
3.47 Personal information about children and families held by
professionals and agencies is
subject to a legal duty of confidence and should not normally be
disclosed without the
consent of the subject. However, the law permits the disclosure of
confidential
information if it is necessary to safeguard a child or children in the
public interest: that
is, the public interest in child protection may override the public
interest in
maintaining confidentiality. Disclosure should be justifiable in each
case, according to
the particular facts of the case, and legal advice should be sought in
cases of doubt.
3.48 Children are entitled to the same duty of confidence as adults,
provided that, in the
case of those under 16 years of age, they have the ability to understand
the choices and
their consequences relating to any treatment. In exceptional
circumstances, it may be
believed that a child seeking advice, for example on sexual matters, is
being exploited
or abused. In such cases, confidentiality may be breached, following
discussion with
the child.
3.49 All agencies working with children and families should make their
policies about
sharing personal information available to users of their services and
other agencies.
This includes ensuring that such information is accessible and
appropriate to children
and families. Individual professionals should always make sure their
agency’s policies
are known to the family with whom they are working. There will be
variations in
policy between agencies in accordance with their roles and
responsibilities. Personal
information about a child and family should always be respected but, in
order to
achieve good outcomes for the child, it may be appropriate to share it
between professionals
and teams within the same agency. Sensitive and careful judgements are
required in the child's best interests.
3.50 In obtaining consent to seek information from other parties or to
disclose information
about the child or other individuals under the Data Protection Act 1998
it is
important that explanations include:
l clarity about the purpose of approaching
other individuals or agencies;
l reasons for disclosure of any information,
for example about the referral or details
about the child or family members;
l details of the individuals or agencies
being contacted;
l what information will be sought or shared;
l why the information is important;
l what it is hoped to achieve.
3.51 The Data Protection Act 1998 allows for disclosure without
the consent of the subject
in certain conditions, including for the purposes of the prevention or
detection of
45
46
crime, or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders, and where
failure to disclose
would be likely to prejudice those objectives in a particular case.
3.52 Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights states
that:
(1) Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life,
his home and his
correspondence.
(2) There shall be no interference by a public authority with the
exercise of this right
except such as in accordance with the law and is necessary in a
democratic society
in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic
wellbeing of the
country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of
health or
morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
3.53 Disclosure of information without consent might give rise to an
issue under Article 8.
Disclosure of information to safeguard children will usually be for the
protection of
health or morals, for the protection of the rights and freedoms of
others, and for the
prevention of disorder or crime. Disclosure should be appropriate for
the purpose and
only to the extent necessary to achieve that purpose.
3.54 Obtaining consent and respecting confidentiality may not always be
straightforward,
particularly in situations of family conflict or dispute, or where a
number of parental
figures including absent parents are involved or where there are
allegations of abuse
about which enquiries are being made. The consent of any one parent
acting alone,
rather than all those with parental responsibility, is required to
disclose information
about a child (section 2(7) of the Children Act 1989).
3.55 Where there are concerns that a child may be suffering or is likely
to suffer significant
harm, it is essential that professionals and other people share
information for it is often
‘only when information from a number of sources has been shared and is
then put
together that it becomes clear that a child is at risk of or is
suffering harm’ (Working
Together to Safeguard Children,
1999, paragraph 7.27). Unless to do so would place the
child or children at increased risk of significant harm the nature of
the child protection
concerns should be explained to family members and to children, where
appropriate,
and their consent to contact other agencies sought. This requires
careful explanation
in plain language. It may be helpful to have written as well as verbal
explanations (an
example of this is the statement for family members on pages 39 and 40).
For some
families under stress or coping in difficult circumstances, explanations
may need to be
repeated several times. In all cases where the police are involved the
decision about
when to inform the parents will have a bearing on the conduct of police
investigations
and should inform part of the strategy discussion.
3.56 In any potential conflict between the responsibilities of
professionals towards children
and towards other family members, the needs of the child must come
first. Where
there are concerns that a child is or may be at risk of suffering
significant harm, the
overriding principle must be to safeguard the child. In such cases, when
it is
considered that a child may be in danger or that a crime is being or has
been
committed, the duty of confidence can be overridden. However, it will be
important
that the respective duties and powers of different agencies are clearly
understood by all
parties.
3.57 These matters are fully discussed in paragraphs 7.27 to 7.46 of Working
Together to
47
Safeguard Children (1999) in the context of the legal
framework and professional
guidelines for different agencies. In this publication, Appendix E
reproduces an
abridged version of the Data Protection Registrar’s checklist for
setting up
information sharing arrangements.
Assessment of Children in Special Circumstances
3.58 Some of the children referred for help because of the nature of
their problems or
circumstances, will require particular care and attention during
assessment. These are
children who may become lost to the statutory agencies, whose wellbeing
or need for
immediate services may be overlooked and for whom subsequent planning
and
intervention may be less than satisfactory. This may be for a number of
reasons
including the following:
l They are children in transition.
For example, their families may be moving from
one geographical location to another; they may be moving schools,
leaving school
or leaving care, or moving into young adulthood and into the remit of
adult rather
than children’s services. They may be disabled young people and their
families,
moving from child to adult services (Morris, 1999). They may be part of
a travelling
community or in families based periodically overseas, such as the armed
forces.
l They are children in hospital for
long periods of time. Under section 85 of the
Children Act 1989 the social services department has a duty to assess
the welfare of
a child in hospital for longer than three months consecutively. This
assessment is to
ascertain whether the child's welfare is being adequately safeguarded
and promoted
and whether the child and their family require services.
l They (or their parents) have specific communication
needs, for example they do
not use English as a first language, or they do not communicate through
speech.
l They (or their families, including
siblings) have a long history of contact with
social services and other child welfare agencies. Their
circumstances may be
chaotic; files numerous; many staff may have been involved; they may not
currently
have an allocated worker. Any of these circumstances may result in the
need for
assessment or reassessment at this point in time not being recognised.
l They are children whose problems or those
of their parents are not sufficiently
serious to receive services under
social services priorities. These children’s health or
development may not be considered to be being impaired, but an analysis
of the risk
factors and stressors in their lives would suggest they are likely to
suffer impairment
in the future. What is required is recognition of the interaction of
child and/or
parental problems on a child’s health and development and the cumulative
effect of
such problems over time. For example, a mother with a mild learning
disability may
not reach the criteria for help from an adult services team and her
child’s standard of
care may not be sufficiently poor to meet the criteria for children’s
services
intervention. However, the failure to recognise the need for early
intervention to
provide support to the child and family on a planned basis from both
children’s and
adult’s services may result in the child’s current and future
development being
impaired.
l They are children and young people
involved in the use of drugs where the level
48
and nature of their drug use is unknown to their parents and/or any
professionals to
whom they are known, for example, teachers, although their general
health or
behaviour may be a cause for concern. These children may be fearful of
asking for
help from statutory agencies and may be more receptive to approaches
from
voluntary agencies or specialist drug services.
l They are young people about whom there are
concerns that they are becoming or
might be involved in prostitution. Draft government Guidance
on Children
Involved in Prostitution, issued for
consultation in December 1998, sets out an
inter-agency approach to helping this group of young people. The
emphasis is on
both preventing these vulnerable children from becoming involved in
prostitution
and safeguarding and promoting the welfare of those who are being abused
through
prostitution. These situations may require careful assessment of the
young person’s
needs and consideration of how best to help him or her.
l They are children separated from their
country of origin who are without the care
and protection of their parents or legal guardian, often referred to as unaccompanied
asylum seeking children. Their status, age and
circumstances may all be
uncertain, in addition to their having experienced or witnessed
traumatic events,
and they may be suffering the most extreme forms of loss. The situations
in which
they are accommodated, albeit on a temporary basis, may be less than
adequate, for
example, where an 18 year old Eritrean young woman is caring for her 10
year old
brother in bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless people. There is
a
helpful Statement of Good Practice (Separated Children in Europe
Programme,
1999) which provides a straightforward account of the policies and
practice
required to act to protect the rights of such children.
l They are children of asylum seeking
families who may have extensive unmet needs
while the focus of activity is on resolving the adults’ asylum
applications, accommodation
or other pressing issues.
l They have a parent in prison. It is
estimated that 125,000 children have a parent in
prison at any one time (Ramsden, 1998). In 1997, approximately 8,000
women
were received into the prison system (either untried and/or following
custodial
sentences). A survey by the Home Office (Caddle and Crisp, 1997)
suggests that
over 60% have children under the age of 18 and over half the women have
had their
first or only child as teenagers. At the very least, children in these
circumstances
experience disruptions in their care, but for some the consequences are
much more
severe and long lasting. Furthermore, social services departments may be
asked by
the Prison Service to contribute to assessments when there are children
involved
(See paragraph 5.82).
3.59 There are common features which apply to the assessment of children
in all these and
other similar situations:
l they require a high degree of co-operation
and co-ordination between staff in
different agencies, in planning or preparing for assessments, in
undertaking and
completing them;
l extra care must be taken to ensure that
there is an holistic view of the child and that
the child does not become lost between the agencies involved and their
different
systems and procedures;
49
l as most children are registered with a GP,
this route could be used for locating lost
children and obtaining information about their past histories;
l particular attention should be given to
health and education assessments of these
children. The older the child, the more these may be overlooked or found
difficult
to arrange;
l consideration must be given to the means
by which information will be analysed
and action planned, how the outcome of assessment is communicated and to
whom;
l responsibility for action and providing
services must be clearly identified and
recorded, with specific timescales;
l overall responsibility for ensuring the
welfare of the child in need must be clearly
allocated.
3.60 It is significant that, where adolescents are the subject of
assessment, studies emphasise
the importance of staff finding time to engage in direct work with young
people and
getting to know them well, although it may be difficult sometimes ‘to
get below the
surface’ (Sinclair et al, 1995). Sadly, such studies reveal that
all too often assessments
with older children fail to be completed, especially where specialist
professional
assessments are required. Even greater efforts are necessary to
co-ordinate and achieve
co-operation from all parties in these situations.
Assessing the Needs of Young Carers
3.61 A group of children whose needs are increasingly more clearly
recognised are young
carers for example those who assume important caring responsibilities
for parents and
siblings. Some children care for parents who are disabled, physically or
mentally ill,
others for parents dependent on alcohol or involved in drug misuse. For
further
information and guidance refer to the Carers (Recognition and
Services) Act 1995:
Policy Guidance and Practice Guide (Department
of Health, 1996a) and Young Carers:
Making a Start (Department of Health, 1998a).
3.62 An assessment of family circumstances is essential. Young carers
should not be
expected to carry inappropriate levels of caring which have an adverse
impact on their
development and life chances. It should not be assumed that children
should take on
similar levels of caring responsibilities as adults. Services should be
provided to parents
to enhance their ability to fulfil their parenting responsibilities.
There may be
differences of view between children and parents about appropriate
levels of care. Such
differences may be out in the open or concealed. The resolution of such
tensions will
require good quality joint work between adult and children’s social
services as well as
co-operation from schools and health care workers. This work should
include direct
work with the young carer to understand his or her perspective and
opinions. The
young person who is a primary carer of his or her parent or sibling may
have a good
understanding of the family's functioning and needs which should be
incorporated
into the assessment.
3.63 Young carers can receive help from both local and health
authorities. Where a child is
providing a substantial amount of care on a regular basis for a parent,
the child will be
50
entitled to an assessment of their ability to care under section 1(1) of
the Carers
(Recognition and Services) Act 1995 and
the local authority must take that assessment
into account in deciding what community care services to provide for the
parent.
Many young carers are not aware that they can ask for such an
assessment. In addition,
consideration must be given as to whether a young carer is a child in
need under the
Children Act 1989. The central issue is whether a child’s welfare or
development
might suffer if support is not provided to the child or family. As part
of the National
Strategy for Carers (1999a), local authorities should take
steps to identify children with
additional family burdens. Services should be provided to promote the
health and
development of young carers while not undermining the parent.
The Assessment Framework and Children Looked After
3.64 The Assessment Framework has been designed to assess children’s
needs across the
same developmental dimensions as the Looking After Children materials
(Parker
(eds), 1991; Department of Health, 1995b). This will enable the Looking
After
Children system to be revised during 1999–2001 in a way which will
result in an
integrated model for assessing and providing services to the wider group
of children in
need and their families than looked after children. Most children who
come into
contact with social services departments do not enter the care system.
However,
should a child need to be looked after, congruence in the system will
ensure that good
quality baseline information is available about the child’s
developmental and wider
needs at the point of entry to the looked after system. This will
support improved
assessment of the child’s needs which will enable better placement
matching in foster
and residential care. The parenting capacity domain within the
Assessment
Framework can also be used with foster carers in assessing suitability
for a particular
child. It will also inform the provision of services to children and
birth and foster
families during the care episode. When children return home, or are
placed with a
permanent substitute family, using the same Assessment Framework will
ensure
continuity of planning to secure the best outcomes for the child.
3.65 The parenting capacity dimensions in the Assessment Framework will
be particularly
useful for evaluating improvements in parenting capacities as part of
any decision
making processes and, where appropriate, a reunification programme. This
information will also be important in planning and managing contact.
Once baseline
information on parenting capacity has been collected during the core
assessment, it
will be possible to identify key areas for change and target social work
and other
resources more effectively whilst the child is looked after and
reunification plans are
being implemented. It should also enable social workers to decide when
family
reunification will not be possible and an alternative placement is
required.
Children Being Placed for Adoption
3.66 In circumstances where there are children for whom adoption is
planned, the
Assessment Framework may be used as part of the assessment of the
capacities of
potential adopters, matching children with approved adopters, and
planning what
kinds of services a child and adopting parents might benefit from post
placement and
post adoption. These services might include help to understand any
specific needs the
child has and how best to respond to them. Some needs may require time
limited
interventions whereas others may exist on a continuing basis. The
medical adviser to
the social services department has a critical role to play in offering
advice and
information from the point at which a child is being considered for
adoption and
throughout the adoption process. A holistic approach to the
consideration of what are
likely to be complex needs of the child requires good inter-disciplinary
co-operation
and co-ordination.
Children Leaving Care
3.67 Where children leave care and live independently of their families,
family links often
remain very important. Research has pointed to the considerable
potential of working
in partnership with the child and their family during this transition
period (Marsh and
Peel, 1999).
3.68 The Children (Leaving Care) Bill which has been introduced in the
1999/2000
Parliamentary Session will, subject to Royal Assent, provide for every
looked after
child to have a personal adviser and a pathway plan by their sixteenth
birthday. The
pathway plan will be informed by an assessment of need based on the
Assessment
Framework and will, in effect, extend existing assessment and planning
requirements
to cover the child’s transition to adulthood. The plan will be subject
to regular review
irrespective of whether the child remains looked after or has left care
and the Bill
provides for the continuation of the plan and contact by the personal
adviser until the
young person reaches the age of 21 and, where supported in higher
education and
training, up to the age of 24.
51
53
4 Analysis,
Judgement and Decision Making
Treatment itself is intimately bound up with assessment, relying on it
as a house
relies on its foundation. Consequently, assessment continues throughout
the
treatment process, despite a change in focus during its course (Jones,
1997).
4.1 The Guidance has emphasised that assessment is not an end in itself
but a process
which will lead to an improvement in the wellbeing or outcomes for a
child or young
person. The conclusion of an assessment should result in:
l an analysis of the needs of the child and
the parenting capacity to respond
appropriately to those needs within their family context;
l identification of whether and, if so,
where intervention will be required to secure
the wellbeing of the child or young person;
l a realistic plan of action (including
services to be provided), detailing who has
responsibility for action, a timetable and a process for review.
4.2 Generally, all these phases of the assessment process should be
undertaken in
partnership with the child and key family members, and with their
agreement. This
includes finalising the plan of action. There may be exceptions when
there are
concerns that a child is suffering or may be suffering significant harm.
4.3 In many approaches or referrals to social services departments,
families are clear about
their problems but may not be sure where to turn or how to obtain
services. With
advice and information, they are able to take appropriate action. This
action may be
all that is required by a social services department. Where there is a
question about
whether a child is in need and therefore services are necessary an
assessment is
required. For some families, the process of assessment is in itself a
therapeutic
intervention. Being able to look at problems in a constructive manner
with a professional
who is willing to listen and who helps family members to reflect on what
is
happening, is enough to help them find solutions. During the assessment
process, it
may emerge that families will best be helped by agencies other than
social services.
Armed with this information, families may wish to seek solutions
themselves; others
may wish to have help in gaining access to other agencies or practical
services.
4.4 A significant proportion of families who seek help from social
services are unable to
resolve stresses or problems solely from within their own emotional or
practical
resources or from their own support network. It is for these families
that assessment
may be important in order to identify the nature of their children’s
needs and,
54
simultaneously, may be the first stage in a longer process of positive
intervention.
Ultimately, careful judgements must be made about balancing the needs of
children
and parents.
4.5 In most situations, meeting children’s needs will almost always
involve responding
also to the needs of family members. The two are closely connected and
it is rarely
possible to promote the welfare of children without promoting the
welfare of
significant adults in their lives. In some cases, meeting the children’s
needs may mean
giving others either parenting responsibility or legal parental
responsibility for the
child, either for short periods or on a longer term basis. Where
consideration is being
given to meeting parents’ needs, as part of the plan of intervention,
this must be
because it is in the best interests of the child and will assist in
securing better outcomes
for the child. Parents may also require help in their own right as
adults who have
specific needs.
Analysis
4.6 In Chapter 3 it was emphasised that gathering information is a
crucial phase in the
assessment process, which requires careful planning about how best to
undertake it.
Information may be gathered from a variety of sources, using methods
which will be
determined by the purpose of the assessment and the particular
circumstances of each
child and family (see paragraph 3.38). Some of the information may have
been
gathered through the use of questionnaires and scales, such as those
published in the
accompanying materials (Department of Health, Cox and Bentovim, 2000).
The
Home Inventory (Caldwell and Bradley, 1984) and the Assessment
of Family
Competence, Strengths and Difficulties (Bentovim
and Bingley Miller, forthcoming),
due for publication later in 2000 will also provide important
information
about the child’s world and family functioning respectively.
4.7 The information should be organised according to the dimensions of
the Assessment
Framework as a necessary beginning to the next phase of analysis.
Information should
be summarised under each of the three domains ie. children’s
developmental needs,
parents’ or caregivers’ capacities to respond, and wider family and
environmental
factors. The Department of Health has developed assessment recording
forms to assist
practitioners and their managers in this phase of work (Department of
Health and
Cleaver, 2000).
4.8 In organising the information, there may be different perspectives
to be explored,
recorded and taken into account, for example, the child may have a
different
understanding and interpretation of what is happening from that of
either parent or of
a professional. These differences are important when developing an
understanding of
the child’s needs within the family context. Different family members
may attach
different meanings to the same information, for example, the
significance of past
family history or events. The same information may vary in its salience
for different
family members, for example, the impact of a bereavement in a family.
Sometimes
these differences in perception can lead to conflicts in the family or
between family
members and professionals. In reaching a shared understanding of what is
happening
in a family, it is important to keep the focus on the needs of the
child. This enables
family members and professionals to agree a plan of action, even in the
context of
55
some differences or tensions, that will address the identified needs of
the child with the
aim of improving outcomes for the child.
4.9 By this point, there should be clear summaries which identify from
the information
gathered the child’s developmental needs, parenting capacity and family
and environmental
factors. In each of these domains, both strengths and difficulties
should be
identified. Children’s needs do not exist in a vacuum (Jones, 2000) and,
therefore, the
inter-relationships between the child, family and environment must be
understood.
Some factors will work positively to support children’s growing up while
others will
militate against or undermine their healthy development. In weighing up
the impact
that various factors have on a child, it has to be borne in mind that
not all factors will
have equal significance and the cumulative effect of some relatively
minor factors may
be considerable. Thus the analysis of a child’s needs is a complex
activity drawing on
knowledge from research and practice combined with an understanding of
the child’s
needs within his or her family.
4.10 The elements of parenting capacity can be described, and minimum
parenting
standards or requirements assessed by the practitioner and related to
their child.
However, it is not possible to ascribe numerical values to each element
because
parenting capabilities and behaviours are complex and subject to
influences from
within and outside the family (Jones, 2000). Parenting capacity can only
be
understood within the overall context in which children are being
brought up. The
analysis should identify the family and environmental factors which have
an impact
on the different aspects of the child’s development and on the parent(s)
capacity in
order to explore the relationship between the three domains (Department
of Health
and Cleaver, 2000). At some points in time judgements may be made (based
on the
analysis of their parental functioning) that the parent is unable to
respond to their
child’s needs.
4.11 To summarise the analysis stage:
l A child’s needs must be based on knowledge
of what would be expected of this
child’s development;
l Parenting capacity should draw on
knowledge about what would be reasonable to
expect of parental care given to a similar child;
l Family and environmental factors should
draw on knowledge about the impact
these will have on both parenting capacity and directly on a child’s
development.
Judgements
4.12 Professionals will be drawing on their respective knowledge bases
to inform the
judgements they come to about a child’s circumstances, whether the child
is in need
and whether their health and development is likely to be impaired
without the
provision of services. For some children, decisions will also have been
made about
whether they are suffering or are likely to suffer significant harm. The
knowledge base
will include information about the factors which are intrinsic to all
children such as
temperament, genetic make-up and race, and other factors which may be
intrinsic to
some children, such as physical or sensory impairments.
56
4.13 Critical to an understanding of what is happening to a child is the
knowledge of the
way in which children need to achieve certain tasks at particular ages
and stages of
development. Bentovim (1998) summarises current views on child
development
which ‘emphasise that what matters for development is that the various
systems –
biological and psychological – should be well integrated. Development is
about
progression, change and re-organisation throughout life’ (p.66). This
normal pattern
of development may not be achieved for some children either because of
unavoidable
factors such as impairments or because they are suffering significant
harm (Bentovim,
1998).
4.14 There is a considerable literature to assist professionals when
making a judgement
about a parent’s capacity and assessing what is a reasonable standard of
care (Jones,
2000; Cleaver et al, 1999) ‘even though research cannot provide
the kind of
numerical accuracy which is often sought’ (Jones, 2000).
4.15 Critical at this phase will be judgements about a number of key
issues (Jones, 1998):
l determining what has been happening and
whether this is a child in need or is
suffering significant harm;
l understanding the child and family context
sufficiently to be able to secure the
child’s wellbeing or safety;
l assessing the likelihood of change;
and later
l reviewing whether such change is being
achieved.
4.16 It is important to identify strengths in the child’s family system
and to use these areas
as the basis on which the child’s development can be promoted. The more
complex
the family’s problems, the more these will involve sophisticated
inter-disciplinary and
inter-agency co-operation in order to reach judgements about these
issues. Stevenson
(1998) provides a cautionary note in such circumstances. ‘The families
themselves
may seem overwhelmed to the point of powerlessness, so the workers may
experience
similar feelings’ (p.18). The reflective process for professionals
working with children
and families may be stressful, particularly in difficult circumstances.
Some children’s
lives are such that profound, sensitive judgements may be required. This
could
include judgements about medical treatment in life threatening
situations;
judgements about whether to separate a child from his or her parents or
caregivers;
judgements about whether to place children with permanent substitute
families.
However, careful and systematic gathering of information, and its
summary and
analysis according to the framework can assist professionals in making
sound
evidence based judgements. The practice guidance has been developed to
assist this
process (Department of Health, 2000a).
4.17 Sometimes, where there are multi-faceted problems, assessments can
become stuck
and little progress made. Reder and Duncan (1999) talk about the danger
of
assessment paralysis which they describe as
‘an impasse in the professional network
where the issue of whether the parent has a psychiatric diagnosis
becomes the context
for deciding about all interventions’. Assessment paralysis can apply in
other
situations, where the focus of attention becomes stuck on a particular
diagnostic issue
57
and decision making is driven by this consideration rather than the
child’s needs. It
requires vigilance and careful management by those staff who hold
responsibility for
the child’s welfare to ensure that progress continues to be made to help
the child.
Use of Consultation
4.18 Social services departments have lead responsibility for
undertaking assessments of
children in need. In order to arrive at well balanced judgements about
the needs of
children, practitioners and their managers may benefit from the expertise
and
experience of professionals in other disciplines. These professionals
can act as
consultants or advisers to assist and contribute to the assessment
processes, which
includes analysis of information gathered. This type of input may be as
useful to the
assessment as the commissioning of specialist assessments.
4.19 In some situations, where the available evidence requires careful
analysis by those with
particular expertise, sufficient information about a child and the
family may already
be available. Therefore, the specialist task is to assist in the
analysis of available
material, drawing on knowledge in particular areas about likely outcomes
of certain
courses of action. This expert knowledge can assist the practitioner and
his or her
manager when constructing a plan and deciding how to implement it.
Decision Making
4.20 In drawing up a plan of intervention, careful distinction should to
be made between
judgements about the child’s developmental needs and
parenting capacity and
decisions about how best to address these at
different points in time. These decisions
will have to take account of a number of factors including:
l how existing good relationships and
experiences can be nurtured and enhanced;
l what type of interventions are known to
have the best outcomes for the particular
circumstances of the child who has been assessed as in need;
l what the child and family can cope with at
each stage. Complicated arrangements
regarding the provision of services and interventions might well
overwhelm the
child or individual family members;
l how the necessary resources can be
mobilised within the family’s network and
within professional agencies, including social services;
l what alternative interventions are
available if the resources of choice cannot be
secured;
l ensuring interventions achieve early
success and have a beneficial impact. The selfesteem
of children and parents is critical to the outcome of longer term
intervention. Good experiences are important when many other aspects of
family
life may be in chaos or problems feel insurmountable;
l there may be an optimal hierarchy of
interventions which will require distinguishing
between what is achievable in the short term, what will have maximum
impact on the child and family’s wellbeing and what are the long term
goals;
l identifying what the child regards as
highest priority, for example, learning to ride a
58
bicycle may be far higher on a child’s list of wants than therapy, and
such practical
wishes should be taken account of because they may result in changes
which will
enable the child to make use of therapeutic help.
l It will be essential to achieve some parts
of a proposed intervention within a
predetermined timescale, in order to meet the child’s needs. Other
components of a
plan will be less pressing and although desirable to achieve, not
considered
necessary for the prevention of future significant harm.
4.21 Underlying these critical considerations is the importance of
keeping the child at the
centre of the planning processes. Three key aspects of a child’s health
and development
must inform the content and timing of the plan:
l ensuring the child’s safety;
l remembering that a child cannot wait
indefinitely;
l maintaining a child’s learning.
4.22 The development of secure parent-child attachments is critical to a
child’s healthy
development. The quality and nature of the attachment will be a key
issue to be
considered in decision making, especially if decisions are being made
about moving a
child from one setting to another, or re-uniting a child with his or her
birth family.
(For further discussion of attachment see Crittenden and Ainsworth,
1989; Schofield,
1998; Howe, 2000).
4.23 In complex situations, it may be helpful for those involved in the
assessment process to
meet to discuss the findings and formulate the plan. This should involve
the parents
and, as appropriate, the child. Family Group Conferences or
multi-disciplinary
meetings may provide for the construction of plans for children in need.
Working
Together to Safeguard Children (1999)
sets out the processes to be followed for children
about whom there are concerns that they are suffering or likely to
suffer significant
harm. The role of the key worker appointed when a child’s name has been
placed on a
child protection register, the role of the group of professionals
responsible for
developing and implementing the child protection plan and the aims,
content and
processes for constructing such a plan are set out in paragraphs 5.75 to
5.84 of Working
Together to Safeguard Children (1999).
4.24 For some families, the findings from the core assessment will
indicate that the parents
are responding appropriately to their child’s needs, but in order to
maximise the child’s
health and developmental outcomes, specific services are required to
assist the parents
and/or the child. In the absence of particular stress factors, such as
those resulting from
having a chronically ill child, the parents would be able to bring up
their children
without external help. However, the presence of these stressors require
parents and
families to develop new ways of functioning, as well as to accept
support from outside
their family and friendship networks. In these families, siblings may be
affected
significantly and services should address their needs.
4.25 It has to be recognised that in families where a child has been
maltreated there are some
parents who will not be able to change sufficiently within the child’s
timescales in
order to ensure their children do not continue to suffer significant
harm (Jones, 1998).
In these situations, decisions may need to be made to separate
permanently the child
59
and parent or parents. In these circumstances decisions about the nature
and form of
any contact will also need to be made, in the light of all that is known
about the child
and the family, and reviewed throughout childhood. Key in these
considerations is
what is in the child’s best interests, informed by the child’s views
(Cleaver, 2000).
4.26 The following criteria have been identified as suggesting a poor
outcome for reuniting
children who have been maltreated with their parents (Bentovim et al,
1987; Silvester
et al, 1995):
l the abusing parent completely or
significantly denies any responsibility for the
child’s developmental state or abuse;
l the child is rejected or blamed outright;
l the child’s needs are not recognised by
their parents who put their own needs first;
l parents have frequently failed to show
concern, or acknowledge, long-standing
difficulties such as alcoholism or psychiatric problems;
l during therapeutic interventions, the
relationships within the family and with
professionals remain at breaking point.
4.27 However, most parents are capable of change, and following
appropriate
interventions, able to provide a safe family context for their child. At
times, children
may need to be separated temporarily from their parent or parents. This
enables
change to take place while the child is living away from home in a safe
environment.
During this time, it will be important to address the changes required
in the parent(s)
as well as meeting any therapeutic needs of the child and other family
members by
active programmes of intervention, appropriate deployment of resources
and careful
review of progress. If a child is separated from their parent(s), it is
essential that parents
are able to sustain any improvements made whilst the child is living
away from home,
when the child returns to live with them. Careful thought should be
given to the
nature of services required by the parents and child during this
transition phase, to
ensure that earlier achievements are able to be maintained and continue
to be
improved upon. For some families continued intervention may be necessary
for a
considerable length of time until the child is no longer vulnerable.
4.28 Jones (1998, p.108) summarising relevant child maltreatment
research findings
reports the following features as having been identified in those cases
where there are
better prospects of achieving good outcomes for children:
l Those infants and children who despite
abuse do not have residual disability,
developmental delay or special educational needs;
l Those children subjected to less severe
abuse or neglect;
l Children who have had the benefit of
non-abusive or corrective relationships with
peers, siblings and/or a supportive adult;
l Children who have developed more healthy
and appropriate attributions about the
maltreatment which they had suffered;
l Children and families who are able and
willing to co-operate with helping agencies;
l Children and families who have been able
to engage in therapeutic work;
60
l Situations where successful partnerships
between professionals and family
members have occurred;
l Children and families where the
psychological abuse component of the
maltreatment experience has been amenable to change.
4.29 When an analysis of a child’s needs and parenting capacity within
their family context
is completed, there is then a baseline from which further assessment and
reassessment,
using the Assessment Framework, can be undertaken to review progress as
services are provided.
4.30 In a number of family situations where there is concern about a
child’s safety and
future wellbeing whilst living in his or her family, the findings from a
core assessment
may provide an uncertain picture of the family’s capacity to change.
These families are
characterised by one or more of the following (Bentovim et al,
1987; Silvester et al,
1995):
l uncertainty as to whether the parents are
taking full responsibility for either the
abuse or the child’s developmental state;
l whereas the child’s needs may sometimes be
viewed as primary, the parents put their
own needs as dominant;
l the child may be scape-goated and
parent-child attachments are ambivalent or
anxious;
l family patterns are rigid rather than
healthily flexible;
l relationships with professionals are ambivalent.
4.31 These families often cause professionals considerable concern. It
is important that
services are provided to give the family the best chance of achieving
the required
changes. It is equally important that in circumstances where the family
situation is not
improving or changing fast enough to respond to the child’s needs,
decisions are made
about the longterm future of the child. Delay or drift can result in the
child not
receiving the help she or he requires and having their health and
development
impaired.
Plans for Children in Need
4.32 The details of the plan are bench marks against which the progress
of the family and
the commitment of workers are measured, and therefore it is important
that they
should be realistic and not vague statements of good intent (Department
of Health,
1995).
4.33 The analysis, judgement and decisions made will form the basis of a
plan of work with
a child in need and his or her family. The complexity or severity of the
child’s needs will
determine the scope and detail of the plan. The different circumstances
under which
the assessment has been carried out will also determine the form in
which it is recorded
and the status of the plan:
l Children in Need Plan at the conclusion of a core assessment, which will involve
the child and family members as appropriate and the contributions of all
agencies.
61
A format for the plan is contained in assessment records (Department of
Health and
Cleaver, 2000).
l Child Protection Plan as a decision of an inter-agency child protection conference,
following enquiries and assessment under s47. The expectations of a
child
protection plan are outlined in paragraphs 5.81 to 5.84 of Working
Together to
Safeguard Children (1999).
l Care Plan for a Child Looked After as a result of an assessment that a child will need
to be looked after by the local authority either in the short term or
long term and
placed in foster or residential care. The requirements for a care plan
in these circumstances
are laid out in Volume 3 of the Children Act 1989, Guidance and
Regulations (paragraphs 2.59 to 2.62). A format for the care plan is an
integral part
of the Department of Health’s Looking After Children materials
(Department of
Health, 1995b).
l Care Plans for a
child who is the subject of a care or supervision order or for whom
the plan is adoption (see paragraphs 3.22 to 3.24).
l Pathway Plan for a young person who is in
care or leaving care as outlined in the
Government’s intentions for young people living in and leaving care
(Department
of Health, 1999f; Children (Leaving Care) Bill, 1999).
4.34 There are some general principles about plans for working with
children and families,
whatever the circumstances in which they have been drawn up. First that,
wherever
possible, they should be drawn up in agreement with the child/young
person and key
family members and their commitment to the plan should have been
secured. There
are two caveats which the professionals responsible for the plan need to
bear in mind:
l objectives should be reasonable and
timescales not too short or unachievable;
l plans should not be dependent on resources
which are known to be scarce or
unavailable.
Failure to address these issues can be damaging to families and
jeopardise the overall
aim of securing the child’s wellbeing. Second, the plan must maintain a
focus on the
child, even though help may be provided to a number of family members as
part of the
plan. As Jones et al (1987) write ‘It is never acceptable to
sacrifice the interests of the
child for the therapeutic benefit of the parents’.
4.35 Department of Health practice guidance (1995a) recommended that
professional
workers and relevant family members should be clear about the following
aspects of
the plan which have general application (an abridged list is in Figure
7). With clarity
about these matters, it is possible for both professionals and the
family to take issue
with the other when their expectations are not met or when perceptions
and objectives
begin to differ.
4.36 Fundamental to the plan, from the beginning, is the commitment of
all the parties
involved and the signatures to the plan of those who have lead
responsibility for
ensuring it is carried forward (in social services, this should include
the team
manager/supervisor as well as the practitioners). There should also be a
clear recorded
statement on the plan about when and how it will be reviewed. Reviewing
the child’s
progress and the effectiveness of services and other interventions is a
continuous part
of the process of work with children and families. The timescales and
procedures for
reviewing plans for children in need which are also part of other
guidance, regulations
and legislation (child protection plans, care plans for children looked
after and
pathway plans) are already prescribed. For children in need plans, where
work is being
undertaken to support children and families in the community, it is good
practice to
review the plan with family members at least every six months,
and to formally record
it. Key professionals should also be involved in the review process and
in constructing
the revised plan.
4.37 The purpose of an assessment is to identify the child’s needs
within their family
context and to use this understanding to decide how best to address
these needs. It is
essential that the plan is constructed on the basis of the findings from
the assessment
and that this plan is reviewed and refined over time to ensure the
agreed case objectives
are achieved. Specific outcomes for the child, expressed in terms of
their health and
development can be measured. These provide objective evidence against
which to
evaluate whether the child and family have been provided with
appropriate services
and ultimately whether the child’s wellbeing is optimal.
62
Figure 7 AREAS IN WHICH CLARITY IS REQUIRED IN CHILD
CARE PLANNING
l the objective
of the plan, for example to provide and evaluate the efficacy of
therapeutic interventions
l what services
will be provided by which professional group or designated agency
l the timing and
nature of contact between the professional workers and the
family
l the purpose of
services and professional contact
l specific
commitments to be met by the family, for example attendance at a
family centre
l specific
commitments to be met by the professional workers, for example the
provision of culturally sensitive services or special
assistance for those with
disabilities
l which
components of the plan are negotiable in the light of experience and
which are not
l what needs to
change and the goals to be achieved, for example the child’s
weight to increase by a specific amount in a
particular period, regular and
appropriate stimulation for the child in keeping with
her or his development and
age
l what is
unacceptable care of the child
l what sanctions
will be used if the child is placed in danger or in renewed danger
l what
preparation and support the child and adults will receive if she or he
appears in court as a witness in criminal proceedings.
63
Principles of Inter-Disciplinary and Inter-Agency
Assessment
5.1 A key principle of the Assessment Framework is that children’s needs
and their families
circumstances will require inter-agency collaboration to ensure full
understanding of
what is happening and to ensure an effective service response. This
chapter elaborates
further on the roles and responsibilities of different disciplines and
agencies when
assessing whether a child is in need under the Children Act 1989. Some
children in
need may be being assessed concurrently under legislation other than the
Children Act
1989. Other children may have already been assessed under different
legislation and
may be in receipt of services from agencies but not from social
services. A further
group of children may have parents or other significant family members
or caregivers
who are in receipt of social services.
5.2 In order to ensure optimal outcomes for children, whilst at the same
time avoiding
duplication of services or children receiving no service at all, it is
important for all
disciplines and agencies to work in a co-ordinated way to an agreed
plan. Increasingly,
there are service developments designed on a multi-agency basis, where
teams operate
with a pooled budget and shared objectives. An example is Youth
Offending Teams.
5.3 There may be a number of voluntary and private organisations and
community based
groups, whose staff and volunteers have knowledge of a child and their
family. In
undertaking an assessment, it is important to find appropriate ways of
using their
understanding of the family to inform the overall analysis of the
child’s needs and how
best to help the family. Communication with staff and volunteers from
other agencies
and groups should be based on the principles of confidentiality and
consent set out in
paragraphs 3.46 to 3.57.
5.4 Inter-agency, inter-disciplinary assessment practice requires an
additional set of
knowledge and skills to that required for working within a single agency
or
independently. It requires that all staff understand the roles and
responsibilities of staff
working in contexts different to their own. Having an understanding of
the
perspectives, language and culture of other professionals can inform how
communication
is conducted. This prevents professionals from misunderstanding one
another
because they use different language to describe similar concepts or
because they are
influenced by stereotypical perceptions of the other discipline. The use
of the
Assessment Framework for assessing children in need provides a language
which is
common to children and their family members, as well as to professionals
and other
staff.
5 Roles
and Resposibilities in Inter-Agency
Assessment of Children in Need
64
Corporate Responsibilities for Children in Need
5.5 Under s17 of the Children Act 1989, social services departments
carry lead responsibility
for establishing whether a child is in need and for ensuring services
are provided
to that child as appropriate. This may not require social services to
provide the service
itself. Following a child in need assessment, for example, a child with
communication
impairment may require the help of a NHS speech therapist and additional
classroom
support at school rather than any specialist services of the social
services department.
The voluntary sector may have an important role to play in contributing
to an
assessment and providing services to a family.
5.6 This inter-agency responsibility is spelt out in s17(5) of the
Children Act 1989.
5.7 The corporate responsibilities for working with children in need and
their families
have been emphasised in the Government’s objectives for children’s social
services
(Department of Health, 1999e).
The Government believes that local authorities corporately have a
responsibility to
address the needs of such children and young people. There should be
effective
joint working by education, housing and leisure in partnership with
social services
and health. Social services alone cannot promote the social inclusion
and
development of these children and families. However, in partnership with
others,
social services can play a vital role (p.4).
Inter-Agency Responsibilities for Assessments of
Children in
Need
5.8 The next section sets out the responsibilities of local authority
departments and
health authorities for assessing children in need and their families and
the basis on
which professionals working in statutory agencies and independent
settings work
with social services staff who have lead responsibility for this task.
This section should
be read in conjunction with Chapter 3 in Working Together to
Safeguard Children
(1999) which addresses the primary roles and responsibilities of
statutory agencies,
professionals, the voluntary and private sector and the wider community
in respect of
children, and in particular children about whom there is concern that
they may be
suffering or are suffering significant harm. The following sections
address specifically
some of the key issues about agency roles and responsibilities when
assessing children
in need or contributing to other assessments of children and their
families. It includes
most of the major agencies but is not comprehensive.
Every local authority –
a shall facilitate the provision by others (including
in particular voluntary organisations)
of services which the authority have power to provide
by virtue of this
section, or section 18, 20, 23 or 24; and
b may make such arrangements as they see fit for any
person to act on their behalf
in the provision of any such service.
Children Act 1989 s17(5)
65
Social Services Departments
5.9 The social services department has the lead role for ensuring
initial and core
assessments are carried out according to the Framework for the
Assessment of Children in
Need and their Families. In practice this
means, planning, preparation, co-ordination
and communication with professionals in other agencies, in accordance
with the
principles set out in paragraph 1.23. This is where inter-agency
protocols (and intraagency
where adults services are concerned) can be an effective means of
providing a
structure for collaboration and lines of communication.
5.10 With any child or family referral, social services should check
whether the person with
parenting responsibility has needs independent of the child’s needs,
which may call for
the provision of adult community care services. If so, those needs
should be further
assessed in accordance with Achieving Fairer Access to Adult Social
Care Services
(Department of Health, forthcoming, a). The assessment of the child’s
needs and the
capacity of their parent(s) to respond appropriately to those needs
within their family
context, should follow the Framework for the Assessment of Children
in Need and their
Families.
5.11 With any adult referral, social services should check whether the
person has parenting
responsibility for a child under 18. If so, the initial assessment
should explore any
parenting and child related issues in accordance with the Framework
for the Assessment
of Children in Need and their Families.
This will determine if the child is in need, and
the nature of services required to support his or her family, under
Section 17 of the
Children Act 1989. Further assessment should be undertaken and services
provided as
appropriate, following this Guidance. The assessment of adult needs
should follow the
Achieving Fairer Access to Adult Social Care Services Guidance.
5.12 Where the child is looked after or there is concern about
significant harm, the responsibilities
of local authorities are clearly laid out in Children Act 1989
Guidance and
Regulations (1991) and in Working Together to
Safeguard Children (1999). Although
social services will continue to work closely with other agencies in
such circumstances,
it is social services which has a statutory duty to safeguard and
promote the welfare of
children and to ensure that this is effectively carried out.
5.13 The role of the key worker for a child whose name has been placed
on a Child
Protection Register is set out in paragraph 5.76 of Working Together
to Safeguard
Children (1999). It states that the key worker has
responsibility for completing the
core assessment of the child and family and securing contributions from
core group
members and others as necessary.
5.14 For children looked after and children whose names have been placed
on the child
protection register and who are subject to a child protection plan, the
responsibilities
for monitoring and reviewing the children’s progress (including safety)
are set out in
the same Regulations and Guidance (Department of Health 1991;
Department of
Health et al, 1999). Social services departments have lead
responsibility for ensuring
these reviews take place within the prescribed time scales. As stated in
Chapter 4, there
are no such regulations governing the review of welfare of other
children in need.
However, it is essential that agreements are reached on an inter-agency
basis about
how best to monitor and review children in need plans. The lead agency
for this
66
activity may not necessarily be the social services department, as
another agency may
be better placed to undertake this responsibility.
5.15 In the process of all relevant agencies working collaboratively to
construct and agree
the child in need plan, decisions will have been made about which
agencies will
provide the necessary services. Careful thought should be given to which
professional
would be best placed to have lead responsibility for co-ordinating the
review of the
child in need plan. Amongst the considerations will be the respective
roles and responsibilities
of the various agencies.
Voluntary and Independent Agencies
5.16 Voluntary and independent agencies are key providers of a number of
different types
of services for children and families. They may be undertaking or
contributing to
assessments for a range of purposes: under the terms of a service
agreement with a
social services department, in partnership with other agencies or
organisations or as
part of the service they provide in response to direct referrals from
children and
families. Their staff ’s knowledge and use of the Assessment Framework
when
undertaking an assessment will enable information to be organised within
a common
framework, using a common language. This will be particularly important
where the
assessment has been commissioned by a social services department.
Health Authority
5.17 Every Health Authority is required to work with local agencies and
trusts to consider
the health needs of their residents and then determine local priorities
and ways to
address those needs. In particular Health Authorities and Primary Care
Groups and
Trusts should ensure that they participate in inter-agency planning and
co-operation
through Children’s Services Plans and Quality Protects Management Action
Plans,
and that there are clear cross references in the Health Improvement
Programmes.
5.18 The Health Improvement Programme is a jointly agreed health
strategy which has the
support of the local authority, NHS Trusts and Primary Care Groups.
Services for
healthcare for vulnerable children should be described and the health
authority should
ensure that local services and professionals contribute fully and
effectively to local
inter-agency working to safeguard children and promote their welfare.
5.19 The Health Authority should agree with Primary Care Groups and
Trusts (PCG/Ts)
how the local health service obligation to contribute to assessments
involving interagency
working should be discharged locally. Service specifications drawn up by
PCG/Ts should include clear service standards for assessments of
children in need. For
children where there are grounds for concern that they are suffering
significant harm
these must be consistent with local Area Child Protection Committee
protocols.
5.20 NHS Trusts and PCG/Ts are responsible for providing acute and
community health
services in hospital and community settings, and a wide range of staff
will come into
contact with children and parents in the course of their normal duties.
Staff should be
alert to concerns about a child’s health and development and should know
how to act
upon these concerns in line with local protocols. Conversely, they
should also be aware
of how adult patients with, for example, physical or mental illness may
require help to
carry out their parent roles successfully.
67
5.21 Most health professionals, in the NHS, private sector, and other
agencies play an
important part in the lives of children and their parents. Because of
the universal
nature of health provision, health professionals are often the first to
become aware of
the needs of children or that some families are experiencing
difficulties looking after
their children. They should consider what help would benefit those
families. Social
services departments can assist health professionals by providing
information about
help that is available in the community and through their own
departments.
The General Practitioner and the Primary Health Care
Team
5.22 The General Practitioner (GP) and other members of the primary
health care team
(PHCT) are well placed to recognise when a child is potentially in need
of extra
support or services to promote health and development, or may be at risk
of suffering
significant harm. Primary care team members should know when it is
appropriate to
refer a child, as a potential child in need, to social services for help
and support, and
how to act on concerns that a child may be at risk of harm through abuse
or neglect.
When other members of the primary care team become concerned about the
welfare
of a child, the GP should be involved in discussing these concerns. The
GP and
primary health care team will have an important contribution to make to
initial and
core assessments of children in need.
5.23 The GP and the primary health care team are also well placed to
recognise when a
parent or other adult has problems which may affect their capacity as a
parent or carer,
or which may mean that they pose a risk of harm to a child. While GPs
have responsibilities
to all their patients, the child is particularly vulnerable and the
welfare of the
child of paramount importance. If they have concerns that an adult’s
problems or
behaviour may be causing, or putting a child at risk of harm, they
should follow the
procedures set out in Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999).
Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors and School Nurses
5.24 Nurses work in a variety of settings where they are likely to meet
vulnerable children
and their families. They will consider the circumstances in which it
would be
appropriate to refer them to social services departments for further
assessment. They
will then continue to work in partnership with social workers, general
practitioners
and others to contribute to integrated assessments, through sharing
facts and professional
opinions and by helping children and families identify and address their
own
needs.
5.25 The midwife and health visitor are uniquely placed to identify risk
factors to a child
during pregnancy, birth and the child’s early care. Health visitors and
school nurses
monitor child health, growth and physical, emotional and social
development. In
addition, health visitors are aware of the health of the parents and may
identify
particular difficulties, for example, postnatal depression in mothers.
The regular
contact health visitors and school nurses have with children and
families gives them an
important role to play in the promotion of children’s health and
development and the
protection of children from harm. Many of these staff provide parental
support
services or parenting sessions and programmes. Some also offer
leadership to local
schemes which support parents.
68
Paediatric Services
5.26 If, in the course of a social services department assessments of
children in need, an
opinion from a specialist paediatric service (including child
development teams which
are multi-disciplinary and may include a social worker) is required, the
service should
be requested by or after consultation with the appropriate member of the
Primary
Health Care Team. Where an urgent opinion is required, because there are
grounds for
concern that a child is suffering significant harm, this should be
sought in line with
local child protection procedures.
5.27 A paediatrician and/or a child development team may already know a
child who is
being assessed by a social services department. This will certainly be
the case for
children with chronic or recurrent significant illnesses and for
disabled children.
Social workers based in child development teams should be guided by the
Assessment
Framework when preparing their contribution to a multi-disciplinary
assessment of a
disabled child and family. Health professionals seeing such a child will
have a contribution
to make both to an assessment of need and in advising on medical and
child
development services that would be of benefit to the child and family.
Information
should be shared with the informed consent of the parents and of the
child (obtained
in a way appropriate to the child’s age and understanding).
5.28 Many paediatric services have an identified lead Community
Paediatrician for
children in need who can advise social workers and parents on how to
gain access to
services. Within the health services, community paediatricians can raise
awareness of
the difficulties faced by vulnerable and disadvantaged families.
Innovations are being
proposed (eg. within Health Action Zone schemes) for the introduction of
one stop
shops where social services and health staff can work together to
provide supportive
and therapeutic services for children and their families.
Professionals Allied to Health
5.29 Other professionals allied to health, for example audiologists,
physiotherapists,
occupational therapists and speech therapists will also have important
roles to play in
the lives of some disabled and developmentally delayed children. Of
these professionals,
speech therapists are the most likely to be involved in the assessment
of
children in need. This is because the language development of children
is most often
affected by adverse environmental and family circumstances. Speech and
language
therapists can also provide expertise to facilitate communication with a
child during
an assessment.
Mental Health Services
5.30 Mental health problems are relatively common in children.
Preliminary results of a
recent survey found that around 10 per cent of 5–15 year olds in
England, Scotland
and Wales has some type of mental disorder sufficient to cause
considerable distress
and substantial interference with personal functioning in most cases
(Office for
National Statistics, 1999). Children of families in Social Class V
(unskilled
occupations) were about three times as likely to have a mental health
problem
compared with those in Social Class I (professionals). There are strong
associations
between family income and the mental health of children.
69
5.31 The evident increased likelihood of children in need having a
significant mental
health problem indicates the importance of specific consideration being
given to their
mental health needs. Not all children and young people, however, will
require the help
of specialists and, for many, effective and straightforward
interventions at an early
stage may prevent more serious problems developing later.
5.32 Those children and young people with more severe and complex
disorders will require
both specialist services and community based support to ensure the best
possible
outcomes. Social workers and other staff working within such services,
whether in
hospital or community child and family mental health service settings,
should draw
on knowledge of the Assessment Framework to inform their contributions.
5.33 An assessment of the mental health of a child or young person will
attempt to unravel
the various factors that have played a part in the causation of any
particular problem or
difficulty. This will include an assessment of those factors that are
protective as well as
those that constitute a risk to the child. As understanding about the
aetiology of
mental disorders in children increases, it is clear that attention must
be given as much
to intrinsic factors in the child, such as inherited temperamental
characteristics, as to
the external social and family influences. This is particularly relevant
for children with
hyperkeinetic disorder, for instance, whose parents otherwise might feel
totally
responsible for their child’s difficult, demanding and hyperactive
behaviour.
5.34 Child and adolescent mental health services provide a range of
psychiatric and psychological
assessment and treatment services for children and families. There may
be very
specific reasons why a specialist child mental health professional may
become
involved. The possibility of a psychotic illness (eg. schizophrenia),
suicide or risk of
self harm, the consideration of medical or psychological treatment for
hyperkeinetic
disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), attachment
disorders
and an assessment of post traumatic stress following severe trauma are
all clear cut
examples. A referral may also be made for an assessment of individual
family factors
which contribute to a child’s disorder and to ascertaining the
therapeutic needs of the
child and family members. Many requests, however, are less specific and
these often
relate to the complexity and chronicity of problems experienced by
children who have
suffered from a variety of disadvantages and adversities. Assessments of
aggressive and
oppositional behaviour of a child, family functioning, parenting
capacity, and
attachment between parent and child are other examples of important
mental health
tasks where child and mental health services might usefully contribute.
In these
circumstances a consultation or planning session may help clarify who is
best able to
undertake which task and what types of intervention may be most
appropriate to help
the child and family.
5.35 Some children and young people may require admission to hospital
for psychiatric
treatment. The legal framework governing the admission to hospital and
treatment of
children is complex. The use and relevance of the Mental Health Act 1983
or the
Children Act 1989 should be considered particularly where consent is an
issue.
Professionals charged with responsibility for helping the child will use
the statutory
framework which reflects the predominant needs of the child. The
Mental Health Act
1983 Code of Practice (Department of Health
and the Welsh Office, 1999) contains
essential guidance (see in particular chapter 31) which should inform
the assessment
and treatment of children who are either formal or informal patients.
70
5.36 Adult mental health services, including those providing general
adult and
community, forensic, psychotherapy, alcohol and substance misuse and
learning
disability services, have a key role to play in the assessment process
when parental
problems in these areas have an impact on their capacity to respond appropriately
to
their children’s needs (see paragraphs 6.18 to 6.22 on commissioning
specialist
services). Crossing Bridges (Falkov (ed), 1998) was developed to
help staff working
with mentally ill parents and their children. It provides a rich source
of training
material for both adult and children’s services staff.
5.37 There are two specific pieces of guidance regarding children
visiting parents, other
family members and close friends in psychiatric settings where social
services
departments may be asked to assess whether it is in the best interests
of a child to visit
a named patient.
5.38 The Visits by Children to Ashworth, Broadmoor and Rampton
Hospital Authorities
Directions (HSC 1999/160) and the Guidance to
Local Authority Social Services
Departments on Visits by Children to Special Hospitals (LAC(99)23) sets out the
assessment process to be followed when deciding whether a child can
visit a named
patient in these hospitals. When a social services department considers
it has powers
under the Children Act 1989 to undertake the necessary assessment, it is
required to
assist the hospital by assessing whether it is in the interests of a
particular child to visit
a named patient and providing the special hospital with this information.
5.39 The Circular Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice: Guidance
on the visiting of
psychiatric patients by children (HSC1999/222
LAC(99)32) sets out principles to
underpin child-visiting policies in respect of children visiting
patients in other
psychiatric units. This guidance emphasises the importance of
facilitating a child’s
contact especially with their parents or other key family members,
wherever possible.
Where there are child welfare concerns, the Trust may ask the social
services
department where the child is resident to assess whether it is in the
best interests of a
child to visit a named patient.
Psychologists
5.40 Psychologists – clinical, counselling, educational, forensic – who
work with children
and families are well placed to contribute to core assessments and to
offer a range of
services to support children in need and their families. In particular,
educational
psychologists working with children, their parents, schools and other
agencies to
promote children’s social, emotional and intellectual development will
have a
significant contribution to make.
Education Services
5.41 A major protective factor in a child’s life is having good
relationships and succeeding
in school. Education staff, through their day to day contact with
pupils, have a crucial
role to play enabling children to have positive experiences in school –
academically
and through good relationships – as well as ensuring and observing their
wellbeing.
Education Welfare Officers and Educational psychologists may, through
their work
with schools, have knowledge of a particular child. If a child is
thought to be in need,
social services departments may be able to assist. With parental
agreement, these
71
concerns may be discussed with the local social services department and
a way forward
agreed on identified matters.
5.42 Schools and colleges may on occasions be asked by a social services
department for
information about a child for whom there are concerns about their health
or
development, abuse or neglect. The education service itself does not
have a direct
investigative responsibility in child protection work, but schools and
other
maintained establishments have a role in assisting the social services department
by
referring concerns and providing information for s47 child protection
enquiries. The
role of the independent schools in relation to child protection is the
same as that of any
other school (Paragraphs 3.12 and 3.15 in Working Together to Safeguard
Children,
1999).
5.43 When a child has special educational needs, or is disabled, schools
and educational
psychologists will have important information about the child’s
development, their
level of understanding and the most effective means of communicating
with the child.
This information should be sought before beginning an assessment. The
school and
the educational psychologist will also be well placed to give a view on
the impact of
different types of treatment or intervention on the child’s care or
behaviour.
5.44 Social Inclusion: Pupil Support (Department for Education
and Employment,1999a)
sets out government guidance on pupil attendance, behaviour, exclusion
and reintegration
of children at school. It takes a multi-agency approach to supporting
schools and enabling them to help pupils with behavioural difficulties,
including poor
attendance. Where a pupil may be at serious risk of permanent exclusion
from school
or engaging in criminal activity, a Pastoral Support Programme should
be set up to
plan interventions to help the pupil remain in school. The social
services department
should as appropriate be involved in the programme (see paragraph 5.5 of
Circular
10/99). In addition to contributing to work undertaken with pupils by
staff from
other agencies, social services departments can assist directly by
working with
individual children and their families who are experiencing difficulties
which impact
on the child’s educational progress. This could include work with
children who are
caring for a sick or disabled adult, or where there are relationship
difficulties within the
family, or where a child has suffered abuse or neglect. In such
situations where a child
and family is referred to a social services department for help with
difficulties
identified at school, an initial assessment will be undertaken using the
dimensions in
the Assessment Framework to ascertain if the child is in need and what
help could be
offered to respond to the particular needs of the child and their
family.
5.45 Children looked after can experience a range of problems at
school due to the
disruptions experienced prior to and during care. These disruptions
often include
breaks in education. Good liaison with schools is important, both
to ascertain the
school’s assessment of these young people and their current needs and to
plan with the
school how these needs can best be met. Guidance on the Education of
Children and
Young People in Public Care (Department
for Education and Employment and
Department of Health, forthcoming) sets out the importance of education
to young
people in public care and the action that local authorities (education
and social
services departments) must take to safeguard the education and thus the
future of
these young people.
72
5.46 Learning Mentors are a new resource, being introduced in
secondary schools in major
cities as part of the Government’s Excellence in Cities initiative. They
will work closely
with pupils to help them to overcome barriers to learning. They will
provide intensive
counselling and support to a small number of pupils facing significant
problems, and
will perform a ‘signposting’ function for others, helping them to access
other agencies
and local systems of support, such as business and community mentoring
schemes
and social services. It will be important for learning mentors to work
closely with local
social services departments in supporting the pupils in their charge.
5.47 Part of the learning mentor function is to participate in progress
checks for pupils in
year 7 and year 9. They will also draw up individual targets for the
pupil to achieve at
school. Each school will have its own assessment arrangements in place
for progress
checks, but all learning mentors will be informed about the Assessment
Framework,
and encouraged to use a consistent format in order to facilitate
effective information
sharing.
5.48 The Connexions strategy (Department for Education and Employment,
2000) will
introduce a universal network of Personal Advisers for young people. The
Connexions
Service will seek to develop a common assessment
tool, with a common core and
sections related to specific problems a young person might face, that
can be used by all
Personal Advisers to assess a young person’s needs. Its use will allow
different agencies
to agree on how a young person’s needs can be met either directly or
through referral,
and encourage a co-ordinated response to a young person’s needs. The
development of
this assessment tool will take full account of this framework for
assessing children in
need.
5.49 For most young people, the end of compulsory education (at around
the age of 16)
marks a significant decision and transition point in their development
towards
adulthood. Government maintained schools have a legal duty to prepare
children for
this decision and transition by providing a programme of careers
education and
guidance during the last three years of their compulsory education.
Various
assessment methods are used to help children identify their occupational
interests and
potential. The methods include self-assessment questionnaires,
standardised tests and
practical tasks which are formally assessed.
5.50 In 1999 the Department for Education and Employment established a
new form of
provision for young people who had failed to make a successful
transition from
compulsory education. This programme – known as the Learning Gateway –
is run
jointly by careers services and Training and Enterprise Councils.
Personal advisers
help 16 and 17 year olds who are struggling to find their way to
identify realistic career
goals and to obtain a suitable learning or employment opportunity. This
often
involves some remedial education/preparatory training in basic skills
and personal
effectiveness before the young person is ready for mainstream provision.
The
Department for Education and Employment has provided comprehensive Guidance
on Assessment in the Learning Gateway (Department
for Education and Employment,
1999b). This covers both vocational assessment and the assessment of
pre-vocational
learning and development needs such as personal effectiveness and social
skills.
5.51 Youth and Community Workers have close contact with young
people. They should
be alert to any concerns about a young person’s welfare and know how to
refer to the
social services department if they consider a child would benefit from
its help. They
will also be well placed to assist in a child in need assessment. In
some instances joint
working may be appropriate.
Special Educational Needs Code of Practice
5.52 Education legislation does not distinguish between disability and
special educational
needs. Not all children with special educational needs have a
disability. Equally some
disabled children do not have special educational needs. In January
1999, schools in
England identified 20% (1.52 million) of their pupils as having some
form of special
educational needs, and 3% (248,000) of pupils had statements of Special
Educational
Needs.
5.53 Special educational needs cover a wide spectrum of
needs/difficulties including
emotional and behavioural difficulties which are described within the
code as:
l Emotional and behavioural difficulties may
result, for example, from abuse or
neglect; physical or mental illness; sensory or physical impairment; or
psychological
trauma. In some cases emotional and behavioural difficulties may arise
from, or be
exacerbated by, circumstances within the school environment. They may
also be
associated with other learning difficulties.
l Emotional and behavioural difficulties may
become apparent in a wide variety of
forms – including withdrawal, depressive or suicidal attitudes;
obsessional preoccupations
with eating habits; school phobia; substance misuse; disruptive,
antisocial and unco-operative behaviour; and frustration, anger and
threat of actual
violence (Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, paragraphs
3.65 and 3.66).
5.54 Under the Education Act 1996, local education authorities have a
duty to identify and
make a statutory assessment of those children for whom they are
responsible who have
special educational needs and who probably require a statement of their
special
educational needs. A child is said to have special educational needs if
(s)he has:
A learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to
be made for him
5.55 A child has a learning difficulty if:
5.56 Having decided that a statutory assessment should be made, the
local education
authority must seek parental, educational, medical, psychological and
the social
services department’s advice. Where a child is known to a social
services department,
the social worker should draw on information which has already been
gathered and is
on the child’s file. At the same time, the social services department
may decide to
73
a. he has a significantly greater difficulty in
learning than the majority of children
his age;
b. he has a disability which either prevents or
hinders him from making use of
educational facilities of a kind generally provided
for children of his age in
schools within the area of the LEA, or
c. he is under the age of five and is, or would be if
special educational provision
were not made for him, likely to fall within paragraph
(a) or (b) when over that
age.
74
undertake a child in need assessment under s17 of the Children Act 1989,
to ascertain
whether social services would benefit the child and family.
5.57 The Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of
Special Educational Practice
(1994) sets out the duties of health authorities and social services
departments in
respect of children who may have special educational needs as follows:
All those bodies to which the Code applies must, of course, fulfil their
duties. But it
is up to them to decide how to do so, in the light of the guidance in
the Code of
Practice. All those to whom the Code applies have a statutory duty to
have regard to
it; they must not ignore it. Whenever the health services and social
services help
schools and LEAs take action on behalf of such children those bodies
must consider
what the Code says.
5.58 When a statement of special educational needs has been completed,
the social services
department will be provided with a copy of the statement and the
accompanying
advice from professionals. This information can assist social services
in current or
future work with the child and family.
Day Care Services
5.59 Day care services – family centres, early years centres, nurseries
(including workplace
nurseries), childminders, playgroups and holiday and out of school
schemes – play an
increasingly important part in the lives of growing numbers of children.
Many services
will be offering a range of support to children and families
experiencing problems and
stress. This makes them well placed to intervene early and resolve
difficulties before
they become more serious or entrenched.
5.60 Day care services may identify children where there are concerns
about their developmental
progress or wellbeing, or alternatively parents who may have
difficulties in
responding to their child’s needs sufficiently or appropriately. Day
care services may
contribute by:
l identifying and referring families to
social services departments;
l contributing to the assessment of children
and their parents or caregivers,
sometimes providing a specialist assessment of family relationships;
l providing services which support the
child’s development and strengthen the
parents’ capacity to respond, through routine work or as part of a child
care plan
which is monitored and reviewed.
Sure Start
5.61 Sure Start is an area based programme providing universal
services for children under
four and their families in some of the most disadvantaged communities.
Sure Start
aims to improve the health and wellbeing of children and families before
and from
birth, so children are ready to thrive and succeed when they go to
school.
5.62 Local programmes work with parents and parents-to-be to improve the
life chances of
young children through better access to:
l family support;
75
l advice on nurturing;
l health services;
l early learning.
5.63 Sure Start programmes provide a range of co-ordinated services,
locally determined, to
meet national objectives and targets and local priorities. These are
likely to include:
l outreach and home visiting;
l support for families and parents;
l support for good quality play, learning
and childcare experiences for children;
l primary and community health care,
including advice about family health and
child health and development;
l support for children and parents with
special needs, including help accessing
specialised services.
5.64 Sure Start programmes are run by local partnerships bringing
together people from
statutory agencies, voluntary and community organisations and local
parents to plan
and organise local services. The involvement of local parents in Sure
Start partnerships
ensures that services are responsive to local needs and will strengthen
local
communities, and build capacity and confidence.
5.65 Sure Start provides an opportunity for early support and intervention
and to ensure
that health, education and social services are actively engaged in
supporting the most
vulnerable pre-school children. Some children and families using Sure
Start services
may be referred to or known to social services departments as children
in need. Coordinated
assessments will therefore be essential as part of providing effective
services
to secure optimal outcomes.
Youth Offending Teams
5.66 The principal aim of the youth justice system, to prevent offending
by children and
young people, is set out in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Under this
Act, the Local
Authority, acting in co-operation with every chief officer of police and
police
authority and every probation committee and health authority in the
local authority’s
area, has a duty to ‘secure that, to such extent as is appropriate
for their area, all youth
justice services are available there’ (s38)
and that a Youth Offending Team is in place
(s40) comprising police and probation officers, social workers and
education and
health staff. The Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), which are multi-agency,
have
responsibility for co-ordinating or delivering the provision of local
youth justice
services and helping to implement the Youth Justice Plan (s41).
5.67 The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales has developed an
assessment profile,
ASSET, for use with all youth offenders who enter and leave the youth
justice system.
ASSET provides YOTs with a consistent means of assessing the needs of
individual
young people and the risks of their re-offending, causing harm to
themselves or to
others. The profile covers the areas of a young person’s life most
linked to offending
behaviour including living arrangements, family and personal
relationships,
76
education, employment and training, lifestyle, substance use, physical
health,
emotional and mental health, personal identity and cognitive and
behavioural
development. In addition, there is a detailed risk of harm assessment
for use when the
profile suggests that the young offender has the potential to commit
serious harm to
others. The profile will assist practitioners plan a programme of
interventions to meet
the identified needs of the young person and reduce the factors
associated with risks of
re-offending, causing harm to themselves or to others.
5.68 It will be important for YOTs completing ASSET to liaise within
social services
departments about young people with whom social services have had or
have contact.
Prior assessments of need undertaken by social services departments can
inform the
work of YOTs. Similarly, assessments undertaken by YOTs will be an
important source
of knowledge if the young person continues to be worked with as a child
in need under
the Children Act 1989 or is re-referred to the social services
department for help
following their involvement with the youth justice system. The
dimensions of the
Assessment Framework in this Guidance are consistent with those of the
youth
offending assessment profile. The key difference is that ASSET
concentrates in depth
on areas of a young person’s life most likely to be associated with
offending behaviour.
Housing
5.69 Housing Authority staff, through their day to day contact with
members of the public,
may become aware of concerns about the welfare of particular children
and should
refer to one of the statutory agencies as appropriate.
5.70 Equally, Housing Authorities may have important information about
families which
could be helpful to social services departments carrying out assessments
under s17 or
s47 of the Children Act 1989. In accordance with their duty to assist
under s27 of the
Children Act 1989, they should be prepared to share relevant information
verbally or
in writing, including attending child protection conferences when
requested to do so.
5.71 The provision of appropriate housing can make an important
contribution to meeting
the health and developmental needs of children. Housing Authorities
should be
prepared to assist in the provision of accommodation, either directly,
through their
links with other housing providers or by the provision of advice.
5.72 Social services departments have a duty under section 20(3) of the
Children Act 1989
to accommodate any child in need aged 16 and 17 whose welfare is likely
to be
seriously prejudiced without the provision of accommodation. At the same
time,
Housing Authorities are required under the Housing Act 1996 to secure
accommodation
for people who are homeless, eligible for assistance and in priority
need.
Homeless young people may frequently come to the notice of both housing
and social
services and will need to be assessed to establish whether they should
be provided with
accommodation. There is a danger that in these circumstances young
people may be
passed from one agency to another and it is important therefore that
joint protocols
are agreed between housing and social services in the matter of how and
by whom they
are to be assessed.
Police
5.73 The role of members of the Police Force can be seen quite broadly
in terms of the
77
overall wellbeing and welfare of children and their families. They have
a key role in
their knowledge of local communities. Information may be available from
the police
either generally about local environmental factors or specifically about
family or
household members. Their contribution in referring children and families
to social
services departments and in providing information and advice should be
considered
when undertaking a child in need assessment. The role of the police in
relation to
safeguarding children is set out in paragraphs 3.57 to 3.64 of Working
Together to
Safeguard Children (1999).
5.74 Protecting life and preventing crime are primary tasks of the
police. Children are
citizens who have the right to the protection offered by the criminal
law. The police
have a duty and responsibility to investigate criminal offences
committed against
children, and such investigations should be carried out sensitively,
thoroughly and
professionally. The police should be notified as soon as possible where
a criminal
offence has been committed, or is suspected of being committed, against
a child.
5.75 The police have a responsibility to co-ordinate and lead the risk
assessment and
management process for the exchange of information about all those who
have been
convicted of, cautioned for, or otherwise dealt with by the courts for a
sexual offence;
and those who are considered to present a risk to children and others
(see paragraphs
7.37 and 7.38 of Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999)).
Probation Services
5.76 Probation Services have a statutory duty to supervise offenders
effectively in order to
reduce offending and protect the public. In the execution of that duty,
probation
services will be in contact with, or supervising, a number of men (and,
to a far lesser
extent, women) who have convictions for offences against children. When
undertaking assessments of children in need social services staff should
draw on the
knowledge probation services have about family members or other adults
in contact
with a child and family, who may have committed offences against
children.
5.77 The Probation Service has an important role in working with men and
women in
prison who may be parents of children under the age of 18. Probation
should be
informed by social services if an assessment of a child whose parent is
in prison is being
undertaken and should be asked to contribute. There may be a range of
issues when a
parent is in prison which will need careful assessment and planning, for
example,
contact between parent and child; reunification and release
arrangements;
resettlement in the community. Joint working between probation and
social services
may be essential to securing the wellbeing of the child.
5.78 In addition, specialist probation officers working in the family
courts may be alerted
to child care concerns through their investigations as court welfare
officers, for
example, through work with families under Family Assistance Orders (s16
of the
Children Act 1989).
The Prison Service
5.79 The Prison Service works closely with other agencies to identify
any prisoner who may
represent a risk to the public on release. Regular risk assessment takes
account of
78
progress made during the sentence, and informs decisions on sentence
planning for
individual prisoners, including sex offender treatment programmes.
Governors are
required to notify social services departments and the probation service
of plans to
release prisoners convicted of offences against children and young
people so that
appropriate action can be taken by agencies in the community to minimise
any risk to
children or young people (Instruction to Governors 54/1994).
5.80 The Prison Service has a duty to safeguard the welfare of those
children aged under 18
in its custody. From 1 April 2000, all Prison Service Establishments in
the new under
18 estate are required to appoint a child protection co-ordinator; and
to establish, in
consultation with local ACPCs, arrangements for acting on allegations or
concerns
that a young person may have suffered, or is at risk of suffering
significant harm
(HM Prison Service, 2000). A s47 enquiry and core assessment is
undertaken concurrently
drawing on knowledge of the Assessment Framework.
5.81 When a young person is entering or leaving a Young Offender
Institution or prison, it
will be important for there to be close liaison between staff in the
prison service and
the social services department, regarding children already known to a
social services
department or who are considered likely to benefit from the provision of
social services
assistance on their release.
5.82 The Prison Service may ask a social services department to carry
out an assessment
regarding a baby whose mother is in prison (HM Prison Service, 1999).
This may be
to assist the Service decide whether it is in the best interests of a
baby to live with his or
her mother in a mother and baby unit. In rare instances, it may be as
part of the process
of making s47 enquiries where there are concerns about the safety of a
child who is
living with his or her mother in a mother and baby unit. Mother and baby
units are not
a place of safety. A prison governor may refer children to a social
services department if
she or he believe the baby is at risk with the identified carer or other
adults.
Armed Services
5.83 In England, social services departments have statutory
responsibility for safeguarding
and promoting the welfare of children of Services families. When
Services families (or
civilians working with the Armed Forces) are based overseas, the
responsibility for
their welfare is vested with the Ministry of Defence. All three Services
provide professional
welfare support and in some cases, medical support, to augment those
provided
by local authorities.
5.84 When social services departments are undertaking assessments of
children in need,
contact should be made with the welfare service appropriate to the
particular Service.
Appendix 2 of Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999) gives
details of these
Services and contact numbers. The roles and responsibilities of the
Armed Forces in
respect of safeguarding children of Services families or of ex-Services
families are set
out in paragraphs 3.89 to 3.96 of Working Together to Safeguard
Children (1999).
Summary
5.85 This chapter has elaborated the roles and responsibilities of a
range of agencies,
organisations and disciplines that work with children and families.
Understanding
these roles and responsibilities is a cornerstone of effective
inter-agency, interdisciplinary
working. Individual practitioners will use their professional relationships
and networks to assist them achieve good outcomes for children and their
families.
Quality collaboration at an inter-personal level requires effective
organisational
arrangements to support these informal processes and ensure good
inter-agency
working is not solely dependent on the commitment of dedicated
individuals.
79
81
6.1 This chapter considers the organisational arrangements which should
be in place to
support effective practice in assessing children in need and their
families. A key longer
term measure of success of the Assessment Framework will be evidence of
improving
outcomes for children as described in the Government’s Objectives for
Children’s
Social Services (Department of Health, 1999e). Another measure is
whether the
timescales set out in the objectives for undertaking initial and core
assessments and
responding to referrals are met. Chief Executives of local authorities
have overall
responsibility for ensuring that all departments of their authority play
their part in
achieving these objectives (Department of Health and Department for
Education and
Employment, 1999).
Government’s Objectives for Children’s Social Services
6.2 The White Paper Modernising Social Services (Department of
Health, 1998e) set out
the Government’s objectives for both children’s and adults’ social
services, together
with objectives common to both on user involvement and training. A
consolidated
version of the Government’s objectives for children’s social services,
incorporating
more detailed sub-objectives, targets and performance indicators was
published in
September 1999. They outline the social services role, and what they are
expected to
achieve together with other agencies in the community for some of
society’s most
disadvantaged families and most vulnerable children. This and other work
has made
clear that targeted help is required to ensure that disadvantaged
children and young
people are able to take maximum advantage of universal services – in
particular
education and health – as well as any specialist services.
6.3 In addition to working with children requiring support from social
services, the
Government believes that local authorities have a corporate
responsibility to address
the needs of a wider group of disadvantaged children, defined as
children at risk of
social exclusion. These are children who would benefit from extra help
from public
agencies in order to make the best of their life chances. To this end,
there should be
effective joint working by education, social services, housing, leisure
and health.
Social services alone cannot promote the social inclusion and
development of these
children and families. However, as part of a corporate endeavour, in
partnership with
others, social services can play a vital role.
6.4 Local authorities have to work closely with the NHS to ensure that
shared objectives
for children’s services – particularly in areas such as services for
disabled children and
6 Organisational
Arrangements to Support
Effective Assessment of Children in Need
82
child and adolescent mental health services – are delivered effectively.
The targets for
child welfare in Modernising Health and Social Services : National
Priorities Guidance
(Department of Health, 1999j) are incorporated into the Government’s
objectives for
children’s social services.
6.5 A comprehensive performance assessment system based on the Best
Value regime has
been put into place to monitor the delivery of all social services and
progress towards
the objectives, priorities and targets set out by the Government. This
includes in-year
monitoring information, end-year performance data and in-depth
evaluation
through inspections and Joint Reviews. A set of 50 performance
indicators were
confirmed in July 1999 after a wide-ranging consultation exercise and 13
of these were
designated statutory Best Value performance indicators in December 1999.
Baseline
data for 35 of the indicators were published in Social Services
Performance in 1998–99
(Department of Health, 1999k).
6.6 Elected members have a vital role in ensuring that the corporate
responsibilities of
local authorities are carried out. This was emphasised in a joint
Department of
Health/Local Government Association communication to local government
councillors:
As a councillor, you need to be involved in setting strategic objectives
for children’s
services and monitoring how health care, education and life chances are
improving
for children who are looked after by your council, or who are in need of
support in
your community (Department of Health and the Local Government
Association,
1999).
6.7 Good partnerships with the voluntary and private sector are also
important to the
delivery of the Government’s objectives. In children’s services,
voluntary and private
organisations are important providers of services. In addition to the
family based
services they already provide, they have a role in representing the
voice of service users
and carers, and in developing new and flexible approaches to service
delivery. Local
authorities should make sure that such organisations are fully involved
in
implementing the Assessment Framework.
6.8 Good assessment of the needs of children and families plays an
important part in
meeting the Government’s children’s social services objectives, by
enabling needs to be
identified at an early stage, so that services and support can be
provided before
problems escalate. The Framework for the Assessment of Children in
Need and their
Families will assist all agencies in making
judgements about which children are in need
and how best to help them.
Children’s Services Planning
6.9 Children’s Services Planning should provide the local vehicle for
determining how the
contributions of all the relevant agencies fit together and support each
other in
delivering shared objectives for vulnerable children and, in particular,
children in need
(Children’s Services Planning Order, 1996). It is the Department of
Health’s intention
to issue new guidance on planning for children’s services which will
address joint
working towards these objectives.
6.10 A prime purpose of the children’s services planning process is to
ensure co-ordination
83
and coherence across local planning arrangements for children and to
improve the
outcomes and efficiency of the services provided. Planning for
children’s services
should ensure that local objectives in different plans are consistent
and support each
other. It is important to reduce duplication of planning effort. A
balance has to be
struck between ensuring that the separate policy intentions behind each
set of plans
are preserved and that planning is not carried out in separate
compartments.
6.11 Fundamental to this will be effective information systems which
identify the needs of
local children and the nature of services required to meet those needs.
Social services
departments have an important contribution to make in this respect, in
line with their
responsibilities under the Children Act 1989:
6.12 Record keeping and the aggregation of data from case records is a
critical part of
providing an information base for planning purposes. The assessment
recording forms
(Department of Health and Cleaver, 2000) have been designed to provide
the means
by which good quality data can be collected and aggregated by social
services
departments. They can be adapted for use by other agencies working with
children,
often the same children in need. A common recording system not only
ensures data
are collected in a consistent manner across agencies, but also
facilitates communication
about the particular needs of a child and about the needs of all
children in an
area.
6.13 These records will also provide a means by which supervisors and
managers can
monitor the quality of practitioners’ work with children and families.
They will enable
them to monitor compliance in implementing the Assessment Framework.
This
monitoring is an integral part of the overall quality assurance process
which
departments should have in place.
Departmental Structures and Processes
6.14 The way in which a social service department is structured and the
processes it uses to
process requests for advice or information, referrals and further work
with children
and families should be organised to support staff responding to these
requests and
undertaking assessments of children in need within the required
timescales. One
example of how a department has organised itself was described in
paragraph 3.6.
6.15 The formats for recording information about individual children and
their families
and the systems by which this information will be used for management
and planning
purposes will also make a significant contribution both to the
effectiveness by which
assessments of children in need can be undertaken and to the processes
by which the
appropriate services are planned and delivered in a local authority
area, regionally and
nationally.
Every local authority shall take reasonable steps to
identify the extent to which
there are children in need within their area.
Children Act 1989, Schedule 2, Part 1, paragraph 1
(1).
84
Departmental Protocols and Procedures
6.16 Departmental procedures, and intra- and inter-agency protocols
between adult’s and
children’s services and between agencies involved in work with children
and families
respectively, which are consistent with the Assessment Framework, will
facilitate
working within social services departments and across agency boundaries.
These
should assist in reducing the amount of time spent on duplicated or
unfocused work.
These should not only benefit children and families but also achieve
efficiency in this
area and to contribute to Best Value in local government
services.
6.17 It will be important to be explicit about expectations regarding
staff having knowledge
of and using the Assessment Framework when partnership arrangements,
which
include undertaking assessments, are being agreed between agencies.
Similarly, when
service level agreements are being drawn up, it will be essential for
the social services
department to be clear about it’s expectations regarding the use of the
Assessment
Framework when, for example, a voluntary or independent agency is
undertaking a
specific type of assessment with a child and family.
Commissioning Specialist Assessments
6.18 There will be circumstances, where a specialist assessment will be
necessary to provide
information to social services departments when they are undertaking a
core
assessment. This is in addition to information that would normally be
available about
a child from other agencies in the community or information that is
known as a result
of a previous or current assessment.
6.19 In deciding who to commission to undertake a particular specialist
assessment, social
services should be clear about what type of assessment is required, for
what purpose,
within what timescale and who or what agency/professional is best placed
to
undertake it. This careful planning of specialist assessments not only
contributes to
the quality of the individual child in need assessment but also to the
effective use of
available resources. Local inter-agency protocols should provide
guidance about how
to commission specialist assessments, and who will implement the
decision(s).
6.20 When commissioning a specialist assessment, it is important to ask
questions which
are within the remit of the particular professional to answer. For
example, when a
parent is being treated for alcohol addiction, it is appropriate for a
social services
practitioner to ask for an adult psychiatric opinion on the likelihood
of the parent
being able to stop or reduce his or her drinking, and the impact of the
parent’s
addiction on behaviour, but not necessarily to ask whether that parent
is capable of
responding appropriately to the child’s needs. The adult psychiatrist
may also be able
to offer an opinion on whether the parent is likely to both engage in
and benefit from
treatment. This could include treatment for personality disorders or
mental health
problems, as well as alcohol addiction.
6.21 Another example may occur where there are issues of sex offending;
a practitioner who
is involved in assessing a child’s situation may need to know how
effective a treatment
programme has been for a particular sex offender, and how that
information will assist
the assessment of the child in need. It will be essential to check out
with the professional
who undertook the therapeutic work, the areas in which they consider
they have
85
expertise, and what questions the professionals they consider they are
qualified to
answer. Some may have an excellent understanding of child and family
work; others
may conceive of their role solely within an adult context.
6.22 When an agency is commissioned to undertake a specialist
assessment, this should be
undertaken as part of the overall assessment. The findings should be
integrated into an
analysis of the needs of the child and family. There should be clarity
about who has
responsibility for analysing these findings and taking action forward,
as spelt out in
Chapter 4.
A Competent Work Force
6.23 Effective delivery of the Assessment Framework is dependent on the
capacity of the
workforce to implement it and having the appropriate resources to support
the work
force. This capacity relates to having sufficient staff in place, who
have the requisite
knowledge, skills and confidence to undertake assessments. They must be
able to
make sound judgements about the needs of each child and how best to enable
those
caring for them to respond appropriately to their needs.
6.24 Staff using the Assessment Framework should continue to update
their knowledge
about the needs of children and the effectiveness of interventions. This
is a continuing
process but one which is essential to ensure that members of the
workforce are able to
deliver good quality practice.
6.25 Knowledge of the wider context of national policy and research
should be supplemented
by information about the needs of the local population. Feedback from
the
analysis of locally collected information about what is happening to
children and the
impact of each agency’s contribution should inform future plans and
methods of
intervention. There will always be debate about how best to help
children and their
families. These debates and consequent decisions should be continually
informed by
local and national information on what works in producing the best
possible
outcomes for children.
Supervision of Practice
6.26 Staff who are in the front line of practice must be well supported
by effective
supervision. The concepts of practice supervision varies from discipline
to discipline.
However, the underlying importance of supervision applies to all
disciplines and
should include consideration of the impact of working with children and
families
under stress. As Bentovim and Bingley Miller (forthcoming) point out:
Supervision of workers carrying out family assessment is essential, as
the assessment
can have far reaching effects on the planning of care and whether
families can
respond to children’s needs within their time frames.
6.27 It is important that supervision addresses:
l the process of assessment;
l the timing and relevance of making a child
and family assessment;
l practice which recognises the diversity of
family lives, traditions and behaviours;
86
l information about the children and the
parents or caregivers, and its analysis;
l what further information is needed and how
it will be obtained;
l the need for any immediate action or
services;
l the plan for work with the child and
family, and allocation of resources;
l the provision of services or intervention
and their likely impact on child and family
members;
l involvement/contact with staff in other
agencies;
l the review of progress, of earlier
understanding of the child and family’s situation
and of the action/intervention plan.
6.28 Agencies should consider carefully, therefore, the expertise,
experience, knowledge
and professional confidence of those who undertake the critical task of
supervision.
Their learning needs will be of equal importance to those of the
practitioners who
carry out assessments.
Staff as Members of Learning Organisations
6.29 This Guidance has an expectation that staff who work directly with
children and
families and those who supervise and manage this work are knowledgeable,
confident
and able to exercise professional judgement. This includes senior
managers who carry
important responsibilities for determining policy and practice at local
level, for
developing appropriate inter-agency relationships, and for securing and
allocating
resources.
6.30 An evidence based approach to practice requires front line staff to
reflect on what they
are doing during assessment and planning, and to examine the impact of
their
interventions and services on outcomes for children and families. To
keep up to date,
therefore, continuing learning is essential. It is critical that staff
are provided with
opportunities for developing appropriate competencies commensurate with
their
responsibilities and for staff development, including further and post
qualifying
training.
6.31 A culture of individual staff learning can only exist successfully
within an organisational
context which values this activity. Individual staff are being required
to adapt
and respond to changing expectations. This has repercussions for the way
in which
agencies direct and support their staff. Research in related areas
suggests the
importance of:
l coherence throughout
the organisation about the objectives of policy and practice
changes being implemented, exemplified in departmental arrangements,
systems
and procedures;
l commitment to the changes being reflected
in the values and behaviour of staff
throughout the organisation;
l acknowledgement that new policy
expectations require adaptation and change, and
involve the whole organisation in a learning process.
87
6.32 In this respect, Pearn et al (1995) write:
In a world that changes at an ever accelerating rate, some organisations
survive and
thrive and others stagnate and die. With ever faster change as a
permanent fact of
life for all kinds of organisations, there is a growing need to make
intentional use of
learning processes to help ensure that they continue not only to survive
but also to
thrive, by reacting effectively to whatever the future may bring, but
also helping to
shape that future. In this sense all organisations need to be learning
organisations.
Organisations which are not learning as fast as they could or should,
and have not
ensured that they continue to learn, risk becoming less effective,
becoming
unhealthy, and eventually ceasing to exist.
6.33 These considerations, if firmly embedded in the organisation
arrangements will
contribute to ensuring effective assessments of children in need.
Preparing the Ground for Training and Continuing Staff
Development
6.34 The Department of Health commissioned training materials, The
Child’s World:
Assessing Children in Need (NSPCC and University of
Sheffield, 2000), to assist the
understanding and use of the Assessment Framework. The materials were
funded
from the Training Support Programme and therefore were intended
primarily for a
social services audience but can be used in inter-agency training on
assessing children
in need. These training materials were also designed to be used as part
of a continuing
programme of staff development. They should be used in qualifying and
post
qualifying social work training especially in the programmes leading to
the Post
Qualifying Child Care Award. They should also be of relevance to
candidates for the
Level 3 NVQ ‘Caring for Children and Young People’. The occupational
standards for
child care at post qualifying level, should enable managers in
performance appraisal to
identify the current competences of staff and their learning needs.
6.35 The full range of resources commissioned by the Department of
Health to support the
Assessment Framework has been described in Chapter 4 in the accompanying
practice
guidance (Department of Health, 2000a).
6.36 Agencies should ensure that all practitioners, managers and
administrative staff
involved with children, are familiar with and keep up to date with
developments in
relation to the Assessment Framework. This will involve a range of
training and
briefing methods as a continuing programme of action.
6.37 A list of training and staff development issues which should be
regularly considered
and reviewed is listed on page 88 (Figure 8).
6.38 Once introduced, use of the Assessment Framework should be
monitored and
evaluated. The messages of initial training may be ignored or forgotten
as staff become
preoccupied with more pressing concerns; some will need additional
advice about
how the various materials should be used and the recording forms
completed.
Supervisors and managers have a key role in checking that the framework
is being used
appropriately and effectively, and that findings from individual
assessments are
informing planning and service provision of children’s services.
Summary
6.39 In summary, the following organisational arrangements should be in
place to support
the effective assessments of children in need:
l policies, intra- and inter-agency
protocols and procedures;
l assessment processes;
l structures and other processes for
referral, planning and provision of services;
l recording and management information
systems;
l training and staff development
opportunities for professional staff, trainers, carers
and others including administrative staff;
l inter-agency training programmes;
l quality control/quality assurance systems;
l child and family involvement and feedback
on the assessment processes;
l systems for obtaining feedback on the
implementation programme and then on the
training programmes established on a continuing basis.
6.40 These arrangements will need to be monitored and reviewed from time
to time to
ensure they reflect the most up to date legislation, policies,
procedures and evidence
based knowledge. In this way, use of the Assessment Framework will be
dynamic and
continue to draw on developments in a rapidly changing world.
88
Training Issues
A training strategy team, in consultation with senior
managers, should consider and
review:
l who needs
training
l what will be
single agency/inter-agency
l how much
training
l who will do it
l how it will be
resourced
The purpose of training would be to ensure that key
staff know:
l why they are
using the Assessment Framework
l the knowledge
which underpins it
l what to use
l when to use it
l how to use it
l how to evaluate
their practice (or work)
Staff Development Issues
A training strategy team could also consider:
l what are the
continuing staff development needs
l how can these
best be addressed.
Figure 8 TRAINING AND STAFF DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
89
A The
Assessment Framework
Appendix
Health
Education
Emotional &
Behavioural
Development
Identity
Family
& Social
Relationships
Social
Presentation
Selfcare Skills
Basic Care
Ensuring
Safety
Emotional
Warmth
Stimulation
Guidance
& Boundaries
Stability
CHILD
Safeguarding
and promoting
welfare
Family
History
& Functioning
Wider Family
Housing
Employment
Income
Family’s Social
Integration
Community
Resources
CHILD’S DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS
PARENTING CAPACITY
FAMILY & ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
90
B A
Framework for Analysing Services
Appendix
LEVEL OF
INTERVENTION
WELFARE MODEL: ROLE OF STATE
Base
(populations)
First
(vulnerable groups
and communities:
diversions)
Second
(early stresses)
Third
(severe stresses)
Fourth
(social breakdown:
‘in care’
Last resort:
Safety net
Addressing
Needs
Combatting
Social disadvantages
THE ENABLING AUTHORITY
Remedial
Interventions
Social casework
Social care
planning
Community
development
Reproduced with kind permission of the authors. From: Hardiker et al (1999)
Children Still In Need, Indeed: prevention across five decades. In
Stevenson O (1999)
Childhood Welfare in the UK, p.43, Blackwell
Science Ltd, Oxford.
91
Guide for use
This chart is designed to help
you gather information at the
initial referral stage. It is not
exhaustive and should not be
treated as a checklist.
Please use the chart alongside
the usual referral forms as a
reminder of:
A. issues which may need to be
checked
B. matters raised by the referrer
that should be recorded.
What help is requested?
Material resources
Housing, beds, clothing, money,
other
Practical help for parent/carer
Respite care, other
Support for parent/carer
Someone to talk to,
advice/information, other
Support for referrer
Advice/information, discussion
of current concern, other
Practical help for child
Accommodation, school place,
specialist equipment, other
Support for child
Befriending, counselling, youth
scheme, other
Protection for child
Home visit, immediate shelter,
other
Is there a child in danger?
Source of information
l Problem
observed by referrer
l Child talked to
referrer
l Someone else
told referrer of
their concern – who?
l Referral has
general concerns
–why refer now?
Why is the referrer worried?
l Is there a need
for immediate
medical treatment?
l Is there a
physical injury –
size, colour, shape and
location?
l Is the child
neglected –
appearance, clothing, home
conditions?
l Is there a lack
of supervision –
whereabouts and situation of
child?
l Is child a
victim of sexual
assault – child’s account or
behaviour?
l Is the child
emotionally
abused – observed
behaviour?
l Is there a
person present who
has been convicted of an
offence against a child?
l Is there an
explanation?
Details of:
l Child’s current
whereabouts?
l Date child was
last seen
l Any previous
concerns
l Background to
current
concern
l Any specific
injury or event
causing concern
l When did it
happen
l Child’s,
parent’s/carer’s
account
l Identity of
alleged abuser –
personal details assist police
checks
l Alleged
abuser’s current
whereabouts
l Any supporting
medical or
forensic evidence
Is there any other possible
explanation the referrer can
offer for their concern?
Additional information
l Willingness of
referrer to be
interviewed
l Discrepancies
or inconsistencies
in the report
Family/household details
Child
Name, age, gender, ethnic
origin, address and telephone
number
Referrer
Name, address and telephone
number
Referrer’s Relationship to the
child
Parent/carer
Name, address, telephone
number and age if under 18
years
Access to parent/carer
Is an appointment necessary?
Alternative carer(s)
Name, address and telephone
number
Other children in the household
Age and gender
Primary language of family
Ethnic origin of family
Religion of family
Disability of parent or child
Other professionals involved
with the family
School/nursery
Address, telephone number and
name of head teacher
Health visitor
Name, address and telephone
number
General Practitioner
Name, address and telephone
number
Probation Service
Name, address and telephone
number
Any other
Is any other help needed?
Remember this is not a checklist.
Record anything the referrer tells
you about these or similar
matters:
l Bereavement
l Child/parent
conflict
l Drug/alcohol/
substance
misuse
l Housing/homelessness
l Learning
disability
l Non school
attendance
l Physical
disability
l Police
involvement
l Racial
harassment
l Violence
l Bullying
l Child behaviour
l Family/marital
conflict
l Financial
crisis
l Mental ill
health
l Parenting
l Physical ill
health
l Poverty
l Unemployment
Consider
l Is this the
correct agency? – if
not, refer elsewhere and tell
referrer
l Have you
sufficient
information – if not where
could you get more?
l Is the service
available?
l Does the
referrer want a visit
immediately?
l Will an
interpreter/sign
language facilitator be
needed?
l Are there
mobility/access
considerations?
l Are there any
assurances you
need to give? i.e. referrer’s
identity must be protected
l Feedback to the
referrer
about the action you will take
l How will you
close the
conversation – does anything
else need saying, do they
have any questions?
l Do you need to
consult
someone about the action to
take?
Check
l Is the
child/parent aware of
the referral?
l Is the
family/child known to
the department?
l Is the
family/child currently
receiving services?
l If suspected
child abuse – the
Child Protection Register.
Useful telephone numbers
Record your most used
telephone numbers here:
NSPCC © NSPCC 1998
First published 1998 by NSPCC, 42
Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3NH
NSPCC gives permission to photocopy
this chart for use in connection with
services to children and families.
Published as part of a pack in the
NSPCC Policy Practice Research Series:
Assessing Risk in Child Protection, by
Hedy Cleaver, Corinne Wattam, Pat
Cawson (ISBN 0 902498 81 9).
Registered charity number 21640
C Referrals
Involving a Child (Referral
Chart)
Appendix
92
D Using
Assessments in Family Proceedings:
Practice Issues
Appendix
1. There are a number of practice issues to which attention should be
given in order to
ensure that any information derived from assessment that is to be used
in court
proceedings conforms with court practice. These are set out below.
Addressing these
issues will assist legal practitioners, including the judiciary, and
other professionals
who may be involved in the case in giving proper weight to the
conclusions reached
during assessment.
2. When preparing a report summarising evidence from the assessment,
each page
should be typed/word processed on one side of A4. The first page should
be headed
Front Sheet and include the following information:
l full name of child;
l date of birth;
l court case number;
l name of court hearing application;
l date of the court hearing;
l type of hearing (ie. directions, interim
or final hearing);
l name of local authority;
l date of the report summarising the
assessment.
Subsequent pages should also be singled sided. Headings and paragraph
numbers will
aid communication in court.
3. It should be noted that the document submitted to court will usually
be a summary of
the key assessment issues rather than the full record concerning the
assessment, as the
latter will not usually be in a format or language suitable for court.
4. Where during proceedings several assessments have been produced, the
report to the
court should identify each by a separate number to avoid confusion.
5. Initial assessments, although incomplete, may sometimes be needed at
an interim
stage in the care proceedings. Reports to court on these initial
assessments will not
necessarily represent the local authority’s comprehensive view that will
be brought to
the final hearing. It is therefore important that the front page of such
an initial report,
under type of hearing, should clearly distinguish between those
for interim court
hearings and the report of the complete or core assessment prepared for
the final
hearing.
6. The last and separate page of the report of the assessment should
include the following
information:
l full name and professional position of the
person who has prepared the report;
l this should normally be the social worker
allocated to the case, although a range of
other people within the authority and from other agencies may have
contributed to
aspects of the assessment;
l signature;
l date;
l work address and telephone number;
Followed by
l local authority making the application;
l signature(s);
l date (s);
l work address(es) and telephone number(s).
7. The endorsement of the report of the assessment by the local
authority raises similar
issues to the approach commended in paragraphs 20–22 of LAC 99(29) Care
Plans
and Care Proceedings Under the Children Act 1989.
The key point is that the report of
the assessment is a statement by the local authority which is likely to
be a crucial part
of the authority’s evidence in the care proceedings. However, it does
not itself imply
the commitment of resources across the local authority in the way care
plans may do
and, for this reason, endorsement at the level of a team manager may
well be sufficient.
93
94
Data Protection Registrar’s Checklist for Setting up
Information
Sharing Arrangements (abridged version)
(i) What is the purpose of the information sharing arrangement?
1. It is important in data protection terms that the purpose of any
information sharing
arrangement is clearly defined. This is because if personal information
is to be
disclosed, then disclosures must be registered with the Data Protection
Registrar and
the data protection principles will take effect. These principles
themselves relate
directly to the purpose or purposes for which personal information is
held. For
example, information must be adequate, relevant, and not excessive in
relation to the
purpose for which it is held, and must not be held longer than is
necessary for that
purpose.
2. Parties to any arrangement should be aware that under the Data
Protection Act 1998
they will need to have a ‘legitimate basis’ for disclosing sensitive
personal data. The
introduction of special controls on the processing of sensitive data
(including holding
and disclosing them) is one of the major innovations of the new Act.
Under section 2,
‘sensitive data’ include information as to the commission, or alleged
commission, by
the data subject of any offence; and criminal proceedings involving the
data subject as
the accused, and their disposal. The definition of ‘sensitive data’ also
includes
information about the data subject’s sexual life. It should also be made
clear to all
parties that information received under the arrangement is to be used
only for the
specified purpose(s). Thus, there should be a restriction on secondary
use of personal
data received under any information sharing arrangement unless the
consent of the
disclosing party to that secondary use is sought and granted.
(ii) Will it be necessary to share personal
information in order to fulfil that
purpose?
3. Depersonalised information is information presented in such a way
that individuals
cannot be identified. If depersonalised information can be used to
achieve the
purpose, then there will be no data protection implications.
Consideration should
therefore always be given to whether the purpose can be achieved using
depersonalised
information; ‘would failure to share personal information mean that the
objectives of
the arrangement could not be achieved?’
E Data
Protection Registrar’s Checklist
Appendix
95
(iii) Do the parties to the arrangement have the power to disclose personal
information for that purpose?
4. If the purpose cannot be achieved without sharing personal information,
then each
party to the arrangement will need to consider whether they have the
power to disclose
information for this purpose. This is particularly significant for
public sector bodies or
agencies whose powers and responsibilities are defined by statute or
administrative
law. If a public body acts ultra vires or outside its powers,
then it may, at the same time,
breach the lawfulness requirement of the first data protection
principle. Section 115 of
the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 may provide the parties with the lawful
power they
need provided the requirements of that section are met. This provides
that any person
can lawfully disclose information, where necessary or expedient for the
purposes of
any provision of the (1998) Act, to a chief officer of police, a police
authority, local
authorities, Probation Service or health authority, even if they do not
otherwise have
this power. This power also covers disclosure to people acting on behalf
of any of the
above named bodies. The ‘purposes’ of the Act referred to in Section 115
include a
range of measures such as local crime audits, youth offending teams,
anti-social
behaviour orders, sex offender orders, and local child curfew schemes.
It should also be
noted that Section 17 of the Act places a statutory duty on every local
authority to
exercise its various functions . . .with due regard to . . . the need to
do all that it reasonably
can to prevent . . . crime and disorder in its area.
(iv) How much personal information will need to be shared in order to
achieve the objectives of the arrangement?
5. Consideration must be given to the extent of any personal information
disclosed.
Some agencies may hold a lot of personal information on individuals but
not all of this
may be relevant to the purpose of the information sharing arrangement,
so it may not
be right to disclose it all. This is a matter for consideration by the
agency holding the
information.
(v) Should the consent of the individual be sought before disclosure is
made?
6. When disclosing personal information, many of the data protection
issues
surrounding disclosure can be avoided if the consent of the individual
has been sought
and obtained. This is particularly significant if the personal information
to be shared
identified victims or witnesses where consideration should be given to
any effects of
disclosure of their personal data on third parties.
(vi) What if the consent of the individual is not sought, or is sought but
withheld?
7. Consideration must be given to whether the personal information can
be disclosed
lawfully and fairly. In terms of lawfulness, an agency will need
to consider whether
personal information is held under a duty of confidence. If it
is, then it may only be
disclosed:
(a) with the individual’s consent; or
(b) where there is an overriding public interest or justification for
doing so.
96
It will not always be the case that the prevention and detection
of crime or public safety
constitutes an overriding public interest for the exchange of personal
information.
8. As regards fairness, even if the personal information held is
not subject to a duty of
confidence, the agency will still need to consider how the disclosure
can be made fairly.
In data protection terms, in order to obtain and process personal data
fairly, the
individual should be informed of any non-obvious uses (including
disclosure) of their
personal data, and be given the opportunity to consent to those uses. If
consent is
therefore not obtained, consideration will have to be given to how the
disclosure can
be made fairly. This might involve arguments of public interest, but
these would have
to be balanced against any potential resulting prejudice to the
interests of the
individual concerned.
(vii) How does the non-disclosure exemption
apply?
9. The Data Protection Acts 1984 and 1998 contain general
‘non-disclosure provisions’,
but allow a number of specific exemptions. There is an exemption in both
Acts which
states that personal information may be disclosed for the purposes of
the prevention or
detection of crime, or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders, in
cases where
failure to disclose would be likely to prejudice those objectives. A
party seeking to rely
on this exemption needs to make a judgement as to whether, in the
particular circumstances
of an individual case, there would be a substantial chance that one or
both of
those objectives would be noticeably damaged if the personal information
was
withheld.
(viii) How do you ensure compliance with the other data protection
principles?
10. Any information sharing arrangement should also address the
following issues:
l how will it be ensured that only the minimum
personal information necessary is
shared and held for the purpose(s) of the arrangement?
l how will the accuracy of the
personal information be maintained? One party to the
arrangement may know that there has been a change in personal
information which
they have disclosed: how does that party ensure that all recipients of
that personal
information are kept informed of developments, so that they can keep
their records
up to date?
l for how long will
personal information be retained? It would be anomalous if the
disclosing agency were to remove the personal information from its
systems, but the
other parties continued to hold it.
l how will individuals be given access to
personal information held about them?
Under data protection legislation, individuals have a right of access to
any
information held about them. This right may be denied in certain limited
circumstances,
which include where access would prejudice the prevention or detection
of
crime. This could be significant, if, for example, a police force wished
to disclose
personal data to another party, but for operational reasons did not want
the
individual concerned to know the disclosure had been made. On the other
hand, it
is not sufficient to deny subject access merely because the information
is held for
crime prevention purposes. Mechanisms must therefore be in place to
ensure that
the wishes of the disclosing party are considered.
l how will the personal data be stored?
The more sensitive the personal data shared,
the more security measures should be taken by each party receiving that
personal
data. This is not limited to physical security of the equipment on which
it is held,
but extends to technological security (for example, limited staff
access, appropriate
levels of staff access) and to staff security (staff with authorised
access should be
aware of its purpose and extent).
97
98
F Acknowledgements
Appendix
Many people have helped in the development of the Assessment Framework
and in
shaping the Guidance in this volume and the associated materials. They
have given
generously of their time and expertise. Members of the Steering and
Advisory Groups
and critical readers have contributed their professional experience and
management
wisdom. A considerable debt is also owed to consultants from different
disciplines
who have worked closely with the Department of Health, especially Arnon
Bentovim,
Tony Cox and Steve Walker. Throughout there has been a strong
collaborative effort
involving Government Departments, the Open University, Royal Holloway
College,
the Universities of Sheffield and East Anglia, REU, Triangle, NSPCC, and
many
others. The development work has been marked by a collective commitment
to
improving outcomes for children and to assisting those critically
important staff who
daily work with children in need and their families.
In the chair of the Steering and Advisory Groups
Jenny Gray Social Services Inspector, Department of Health
Consultant to the Project
Wendy Rose Senior Research Fellow, The Open University
Members of the Steering Group
Sarah Bateman* Section Head (Child Protection), Department of Health
(until August 1999)
Bruce Clark* Director of Central Children's Services, National Council
for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (until August 1999)
Section Head(Child Protection), Department of Health (from
September 1999)
Jonathan Corbett* Social Services Inspector, National Assembly For Wales
(from
October 1999)
Chris Corrigan* Section Head (Family Support and Children in Need),
Department of Health
Ann Gross* Section Head (Quality Protects), Department of Health (until
September 1999)
99
Steve Hart* Social Services Inspector, Department of Health
Gillian Harrison Head of Evidence and Procedures Section, Home Office
David Hill Local Government Association and Head of Services
(Children and Families), London Borough of Havering Social
Services Department
Tom Jeffery Branch Head, Children's Services, Department of Health
Dr Robert Jezzard* Senior Policy Adviser, Department of Health
David Johnston* Social Services Inspector, National Assembly For Wales
(until
September 1999)
Dr David Jones Consultant Child and Family Psychiatrist, The Park
Hospital,
Oxford
Helen Jones* Social Services Inspector, Department of Health
Dorothy Lewis Regional Development Worker, Department of Health (from
September 1999)
Margaret Lynch Senior Policy Advisor, Department of Health (from
September 1999)
Katrina McNamara* Nursing Officer, Department of Health
Jeremy Oppenheim Association of the Directors of Social Services and Director
of
Social Services, London Borough of Hackney (until August
1999)
Neil Remsbery Team Leader (Special Educational Schools), Department for
Education and Employment
Jennifer Ruddick* Social Services Inspector, Department of Health
Kim Sibley * Team Leader, Special Educational Needs Strategy Team,
Department of Education and Employment
Gail Treml * Professional Adviser, Special Educational Needs,Department
of Education and Employment
Peter Smith* Social Services Inspector, Department of Health
Andrew Webb Association of the Directors of Social Services and Head of
Children’s Services, Cheshire County Council
Elizabeth Development and Promotions Department, Central
Wulff-Cochrane Council for the Education and Training of Social Workers
*also members of Advisory Group
Members of the Advisory Group
Jane Aldgate Professor of Social Care, The Open University
Hedy Cleaver Senior Research Fellow, Royal Holloway, University of
London
Ratna Dutt OBE Director, REU
Amanda Farr Children's Services Manager, Milton Keynes County Council
Enid Hendry Head of Child Protection Training, National Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Jan Horwath Lecturer in Social Work, Department of Sociological Studies,
University of Sheffield
Hugh McLaughlin Assistant Director (Children and Families), Wigan Social
Services Department
Jill Pedley Assistant Director (Children and Families), Nottinghamshire
Social Services Department
Melanie Phillips Freelance Trainer, Researcher, Consultant to REU
Nigel Richardson Assistant Director (Children and Families), Directorate
of
Social and Housing Services, North Lincolnshire Council
David Roberts Team Leader, Health Services (Child Health), Department of
Health
David Simpkins Child Care Policy Officer, Devon Social Services Department
Ruth Sinclair Director of Research, National Children’s Bureau
June Thoburn Professor of Social Work, University of East Anglia
Secretariat to the Project
Jim Brown Policy Administrator, Department of Health
Dawn Tharpe Secretary to Jenny Gray, Department of Health
100
101
G Bibliography
Appendix
Adcock M (2000) The Core Assessment: How to synthesise information
and make
judgements. In Horwath J (ed) (2000) The Child’s
World: Assessing Children in Need.
The Reader. The NSPCC, London.
Adcock M and White R (eds) (1998) Significant Harm: its Management
and Outcome.
Significant Publications, Croydon.
Aldgate J and Bradley M (1999) Supporting Families Through Short Term
Fostering.
The Stationery Office, London.
Belsky Y J and Vondra J (1989) Lessons from child abuse: The
determinants of parenting.
In Acchetti D and Carlson V (eds) (1989) Child Maltreatment: Theory
and Research on
the Causes and Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect. Cambridge University Press,
New York.
Bentovim A (1998) Significant Harm in Context. In Adcock M and
White R (eds)
(1998) Significant Harm: its Management and Outcome. pp. 57–89.
Significant
Publications, Croydon.
Bentovim A and Bingley Miller L (forthcoming) Assessment of Family
Competence,
Strengths and Difficulties .
Bentovim A, Elton A and Tranter M (1987) Prognosis for rehabilitation
after abuse.
Adoption and Fostering. 34: 821–826.
Birleson P (1980) The validity of depressive disorder in childhood and
the
development of a self-rating scale: A research report. Journal of
Child Psychology and
Psychiatry. 22: 73–88.
Bradley R and Caldwell B (1977) Home observation for measurement of the
environment: A validation study of screening efficiency. American
Journal of Mental
Deficiency. 81: 417-420.
Brandon M (1999) Communicating with Children and Ascertaining their
Wishes and
Feelings. In Shemmings D (1999) In on the Act –
A training programme for relevant
professionals. University of East Anglia, Norwich.
Brugha T, Bebington P, Tennant C and Hurry J (1985) The list of
threatening
experiences: A subset of 12 life event categories with considerable
long-term
contextual threat. Psychological Medicine. 15: 189–194.
102
Butler I and Williamson H (1994) In NSPCC in association with Chailey
Heritage
and Department of Health (1997) Turning Points: A Resource Pack for
Communicating
with Children. Introduction. pp.1–2. The NSPCC,
London.
Butt J and Box C (1998) Family Centred. A study of the use of family
centres by black
families. REU, London.
Caddle D and Crisp D (1997) Imprisoned women and mothers. Home
Office Research
Study 162. Home Office, London.
Caldwell B M and Bradley R H (1984) Home Observation for Measurement
of the
Environment – Administration Manual (revised edition). University of Arkansas,
Arkansas.
Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995 (1995)
HMSO, London.
Carers and Disabled Children Bill (2000)
The Stationery Office, London.
Children Act 1989 (1989) HMSO, London.
Children Act 1989 (Amendment) Children's Services Planning Order 1996.
Statutory
Instrument 1996 No. 785. HMSO, London.
Children (Leaving Care) Bill (1999).
The Stationery Office, London.
Cleaver H (2000) Fostering Family Contact: a study of children, parents
and foster carers.
The Stationery Office, London.
Cleaver H and Freeman P (1995) Parental Perspectives in Cases of
Suspected Child
Abuse. HMSO, London.
Cleaver H, Unell I and Aldgate J (1999) Children’s Needs – Parenting
Capacity: The
impact of parental mental illness, problem alcohol and drug use, and
domestic violence on
children’s development. The Stationery Office,
London.
Cleaver H, Wattam C and Cawson P (1998) Assessing Risk in Child
Protection. The
NSPCC, London.
Compton B R and Galaway B (1989) Social Work Processes. Brookes
Cole, Pacific
Grove.
Connolly J and Shemmings D (1998) Undertaking Assessments of Children
and
Families: A directory of training materials, courses and key texts. University of East
Anglia, Norwich.
Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (1998)
The Stationery Office, London.
Crittenden P and Ainsworth MDS (1989) Child Maltreatment and
Attachment. In
Cicchetti D and Carlson V (eds) Handbook of Child Maltreatment:
Clinical and
Theorectical Perspectives. pp. 432–463. Cambridge,
New York.
Crnic K A and Booth C L (1991) Mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of
daily hassles of
parenting across early childhood. Journal of Marriage and the Family.
53: 1043–1050.
Crnic K A and Greenberg M T (1990) Minor parenting stresses with young children.
Child Development. 61: 1628–1637.
103
Data Protection Act 1998 (1998) The Stationery
Office, London.
Davie C E, Hutt S J, Vincent E and Mason M (1984) The young child at
home. NFERNelson,
Windsor.
Department for Education and Employment (1994) Code of Practice on
the
Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs. HMSO, London.
Department for Education and Employment (1999a) School Inclusion:
Pupil Support.
The Secretary of State’s guidance on pupil attendance, behaviour,
exclusion and reintegration.
Circular No 10/99.
Department for Education and Employment (1999b) Guidance on
Assessment in the
Learning Gateway for 16 and 17 year olds.
DfEE Publications (Ref: RDT/LG/9901).
Department for Education and Employment (2000) Connexions: The best
start in life
for every young person. DfEE Publications
(Ref: CX2).
Department for Education and Employment and Department of Health
(forthcoming)
Guidance on the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care.
Department of Health (1988) Protecting Children: A Guide for Social
Workers
Undertaking a Comprehensive Assessment.
HMSO, London.
Department of Health (1989) An Introduction to the Children Act 1989.
HMSO,
London.
Department of Health (1991) The Children Act (1989) Guidance and
Regulations.
Volumes 1–10. HMSO, London.
Department of Health, Social Services Inspectorate (1995a) The
Challenge of
Partnership in Child Protection: Practice Guide. HMSO, London.
Department of Health (1995b) Looking After Children: Trial Pack of
Planning and
Review Forms and Assessment and Action Records (Revised). HMSO, London.
Department of Health (1995c) Looking After Children: Good Parenting,
Good
Outcomes. Training Guide. HMSO, London.
Department of Health (1995d) Child Protection: Messages from Research.
HMSO,
London.
Department of Health, Social Services Inspectorate (1995e) Growing up
and moving
on – transition services for disabled young people. (CI(95)27). Department of Health,
London.
Department of Health, Social Services Inspectorate (1995f ) Young
Carers. Something
to Think About. (CI(96)38). Department of Health,
London.
Department of Health (1996a) Carers (Recognition and Services) Act
1995: Policy
Guidance and Practice Guide. Local Authority
Circular LAC(97)7 and Health Services
Guidelines HSG(96)8). Department of Health, London.
Department of Health, Social Services Inspectorate (1996b) Standards
Used by the
Social Services Inspectorate, Volume 2: Children’s Services, plus
supplement to Vol 2.
Children’s Services (CI(96)23). Department of Health, London.
104
Department of Health, Social Services Inspectorate (1996c) Standards
Used by the
Social Services Inspectorate, Volume 3: Children’s Residential Care,
Secure
Accommodation and Juvenile Justice.
(CI(96)23). Department of Health, London.
Department of Health, Social Services Inspectorate (1998a) Young
Carers: Making a
Start. Department of Health, London.
Department of Health (1998b) National Priorities Guidance: A
commitment to
improve modern social services.
Department of Health, London.
Department of Health (1998c) Adoption: Achieving the right balance.
Local Authority
Circular LAC(98)20.
Department of Health (1998d) Quality Protects Circular: Transforming
Children’s
Services. Local Authority Circular (LAC(98)28).
Department of Health (1998e) Modernising social services: Promoting
independence,
Improving protection, Raising standards.
Department of Health, London.
Department of Health (1999a) Caring about Carers: A National Strategy
for Carers.
Department of Health, London.
Department of Health (1999b) Children Looked After by Local
Authorities. Year Ending
31 March 1998. England. Government Statistical
Services, London.
Department of Health (1999c) Guidance to Local Authority Social
Services
Departments on Visits by Children to Special Hospitals. Local Authority Circular
(LAC(99)23).
Department of Health (1999d) Care Plans and Care Proceedings under
the Children Act
1989. Local Authority Circular (LAC(99)29).
Department of Health, London.
Department of Health (1999e) The Government's Objectives for
Children's Social
Services. Department of Health, London.
Department of Health (1999f ) Me, survive, out there?: new
arrangements for young
people living in and leaving care.
Department of Health, London.
Department of Health (1999g) Adoption Now: Messages from Research.
Wiley,
Chichester.
Department of Health (1999h) Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice:
Guidance on
the visiting of psychiatric patients by children (HSC1999/222 LAC(99)32).
Department of Health, London.
Department of Health (1999i) Children and Young People on Child
Protection Registers.
Year Ending 31 March 1999. England. Government
Statistical Service, London.
Department of Health (1999j) Modernising Health and Social Services:
National
Priorities Guidance. Department of Health, London.
Department of Health (1999k) Social Services Performance in 1998–99.
The Personal
Social Services Performance Assessment Framework. Local Authority Social Services
LASSL(99)24. Department of Health, London.
105
Department of Health (2000a) towards safer care. Training and
Resource Pack.
Department of Health, London.
Department of Health (2000b) Assessing Children in Need and their
Families: Practice
Guidance. The Stationery Office, London.
Department of Health (2000c) Studies which inform the development of
the Framework
for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. The Stationery Office,
London.
Department of Health (forthcoming, a) Achieving Fair Access to Adult
Social Care
Services.
Department of Health (forthcoming, b) The Children Act 1989 Now:
Messages from
Research. The Stationery Office, London.
Department of Health and Cleaver H (2000) Assessment Recording Forms.
The
Stationery Office, London.
Department of Health, Cox A and Bentovim A (2000) The Family
Assessment Pack of
Questionnaires and Scales. The Stationery Office,
London.
Department of Health and Department for Education and Employment (1996)
Children's Services Planning Guidance.
Department of Health, London.
Department of Health and Department for Education and Employment (1999) The
Quality Protects Programme: Transforming Children's Services 2000/01. Health Service
Circular (HSC(99)237), Local Authority Circular (LAC(99)33) and DfEE
Circular
No. 18/99. Department of Health, London.
Department of Health, Dutt R and Phillips M (2000) Improving identity
and selfesteem
for looked after children. REU, London.
Department of Health, Home Office, Department for Education and
Employment
(1999) Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to
inter-agency working to
safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The Stationery Office, London.
Department of Health and The Local Government Association (1999) Think
Child!
The councillor's guide to Quality Protects. The
Department of Health and the Local
Government Assication, London.
Department of Health, University of Bristol, The NSPCC and Barnardos
(1998)
Making an Impact: Children and Domestic Violence: Training Resource. Barnardos,
London.
Department of Health and The Welsh Office (1999) Code of Practice
Mental Health
Act 1983. The Stationery Office, London.
Dingwall R, Eekelaar J and Murray T (1983) The protection of
children: state
intervention and family life.
Basil Blackwell, Oxford.
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (1995)
The Stationery Office, London.
Dutt R and Phillips M (2000) The Assessment of Black Children in Need
and their
Families. In Department of Health (2000b) Assessing
Children in Need and their
Families: Practice Guidance. The Stationery Office,
London.
106
Education Act 1996 (1996) The Stationery Office, London.
Falkov A, Mayes K, Diggins M, Silverdale N and Cox A (1998) Crossing
Bridges –
Training resources for working with mentally ill parents and their
children. Pavilion
Publishing, Brighton.
The Family Proceedings Courts (Children Act 1989) Rules 1991 (SI 1395/1991 for
Magistrates Courts and SI 1247/1991 for Higher Courts).
General Assembly of the United Nations (1989) The Convention on the
Rights of the
Child. Adopted by the General Assembly of the
United Nations on 20 November
1989.
Goodman R (1997) The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A
Research Note.
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 38:
581-586.
Goodman R, Meltzer H and Bailey V (1998) The strengths and difficulties
questionnaire: A pilot study on the validity of the self-report version.
European Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry. 7: 125–130.
Hardiker P, Exton K and Baker M (1996) The prevention of Child Abuse: a
framework for analysing services. In Childhood Matters: Report of the
National
Commission of Inquiry into the Prevention Of Child Abuse. Vol 2. HMSO, London.
Hardiker P, Exton K and Barker M (1999) Children Still in Need, Indeed:
prevention
across five decades. In Stevenson O (1999) Childhood Welfare in the
UK. Blackwell
Science Ltd, Oxford
HM Prison Service (1994) Release of Prisoners Convicted of Offences
Against Children or
Young Persons Under the Age of 18.
Instructions to Governors 54/1994.
HM Prison Service (1999) Report of a review of principles, polices
and procedures on
mothers and babies/children in prison.
Women’s Policy Unit, London.
HM Prison Service (2000) Protocol: Additional Child Protection
Arrangements for
Under 18 years olds in Prison Service Establishments. HM Prison Service, London.
Home Office (1998) Speaking up for Justice Report of the
Interdepartmental Working
Group on the treatment of Vulnerable or Intimidated Witnesses in the
Criminal Justice
System. The Stationery Office, London.
Home Office and Department of Health (1992) Memorandum of Good
Practice on
Interviewing of Child Witnesses.
HMSO, London.
Home Office and Department of Health (1998) Draft Guidance on
Children Involved
in Prostitution. The Home Office, London.
Home Office and Department of Health (forthcoming) Guidance on
Children
Involved in Prostitution.
Horwath J (ed) (2000) The Child’s World: Assessing Children in Need.
The Reader.
The NSPCC, London.
Human Rights Act 1998 (1998) The Stationery
Office, London.
107
Howe D (2000) Attachment. In Horwath J (ed) (2000) The Child’s World:
Assessing
Children in Need. The Reader. The
NSPCC, London.
International Save the Children Alliance and United Nations High
Commissioner for
Refugees (1999) Separated Children in Europe Programme, Statement of
Good Practice.
Jack G (1997) An Ecological Approach to Social Work with Children and
Families.
Child and Family Social Work. 2:
109–120.
Jones D P H (1997) Treatment of the child and the family where child
abuse or neglect has
occurred. In Helfer R, Kempe R and Krugman R (eds)
The Battered Child, 5th edition.
pp.521–542. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Jones D P H (1998) The effectiveness of intervention. In Adcock M
and White R (eds)
(1998) Significant Harm: its Management and Outcome. pp. 91-119.
Significant
Publications, Croydon.
Jones D P H (2000) The Assessment of Parental Capacity. In Horwath J
(ed) (2000)
The Child’s World: Assessing Children in Need. The Reader. The NSPCC, London.
Jones D P H (forthcoming) Communicating with Children who may have
been
traumatised or maltreated.
Jones D and Ramchandani P (1999) Child Sexual Abuse: Informing
Practice from
Research. Radcliffe Medical Press. Abingdon.
Kinston W and Loader P (1988) The Family Task Interview: A tool for
clinical
research infamily interaction. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
14: 67–87.
Local Government Bill (1999) The Stationery
Office, London.
Marsh P and Peel M (1999) Leaving Care in Partnership: family
involvement with care
leavers. The Stationery Office, London.
Morris J (1999) Move on Up: Supporting Young Disabled People in the
Transition to
Adulthood. Barnardos, London.
Morris K, Marsh P and Wiffin J (1998) Family Group Conferences – A
Training Pack.
The Family Rights Group, London.
NHS (1999a) The Visits by Children to Ashworth, Boradmoor and Rampton
Hospitals
Directions. Health Service Circular (HSC1999/160).
NHS (1999b) Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice: Guidance on the
visiting of
psychiatric patients by children.
Health Service Circular (HSC1999/222) and Local
Authority Circular (LAC 99(32)).
The NSPCC in association with Chailey Heritage and Department of Health
(1997)
Turning Points: A Resource Pack for Communicating with Children. The NSPCC,
London.
The NSPCC and the University of Sheffield (2000) The Child’s World:
Assessing
Children in Need. Training and Development Pack. The NSPCC, London.
Office for National Statistics (1999) Mental Health of Children and
Adolescents.
Monograph series (99)409. Office for National Statistics, London.
108
Office for National Statistics (2000) The development and well-being
of children and
adolescents in Great Britiain.
Office for National Statistics, London.
Parker R M, Ward H, Jackson S, Aldgate J and Wedge P (eds) (1991) Looking
After
Children: Assessing Outcomes in Children Care. HMSO, London.
Pearn M, Roderick C and Mulrooney C (1995) Learning Organisations in
Practice.
McGraw-Hill, Maidenhead.
Piccinelli M, Tessari E, Bortolomasi M, Piasere O, Semenzin M, Garzotto
N and
Tansella M (1997) Efficacy of the alcohol use disorders identification
test as a
screening tool for hazardous alcohol intake and related disorders in
primary care: A
validity study. British Medical Journal. 514: 420–424.
Ramsden S (1998) Working with Children of Prisoners: A Resource for
Teachers. Save the
Children, London.
Reder P and Duncan S (1999) Lost Innocents. Routledge, London.
Rutter M, Tizard J and Whitmore K (eds) (1970) Education, Health and
Behaviour.
Longmans, London.
Rutter M, Giller H and Hagell A (1998) Anti-social Behaviour by Young
People.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Ryan M (2000) Working with Fathers. Radcliffe Medical Press,
Abingdon.
Schofield G (1998) Inner and outer worlds: a psychosocial framework for
child and
family social work. Child and Family Social Work. 3, pp.
57–67.
Shemmings D (1999) In on the Act – A Training Programme for Relevant
Professionals.
School of Social Work, University of East
Anglia, Norwich.
Silvester J, Bentovim A, Stratton P and Hanks H (1995) Using spoken
attributions to
classify abusive families. Child Abuse and Neglect. 19(10):1221–1232.
Sinclair R, Garnett l and Berridge D (1995) Social Work and
Assessment with
Adolescents. National Children’s Bureau, London.
Smith M A (1985) The Effects of Low Levels of Lead on Urban Children:
The relevance of
social factors. Ph.D. Psychology, University of London.
Snaith R P, Constantopoulos A A, Jardine M Y and McGuffin P (1978) A
clinical scale
for the self-assessment of irritability. British Journal of
Psychiatry. 132: 164–171.
Social Exclusion Unit (1998) Bringing Britain Together: A National
Strategy for
Neighbourhood Renewal. The Stationery Office,
London.
Social Exclusion Unit (1999) Bridging the Gap: New opportunities for
16–18 year olds
not in education, employment or training. The
Stationery Office, London.
Social Services Inspectorate and Surrey County Council (1995) Unaccompanied
Asylum-Seeking Children: A Training Pack.
Department of Health, London.
Stevenson O (1998) Neglected Children: Issues and Dilemmas.
Blackwell Science,
Oxford.
Thomas T and Beckford V (1999) Adopted Children Speaking. BAAF,
London.
Tunstill J and Aldgate J (2000) From Policy to Practice: Services for
Children in Need.
The Stationery Office, London.
Utting D (1995) Family and Parenthood: Supporting Families,
Preventing Breakdown.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York.
Varma V (ed) (1993) How and Why Children Fail. Cassell, London.
Ward H (ed) (1995) Looking After Children: Research into Practice: The
Second Report of
the Department of Health on Assessing Outcomes in Child Care. HMSO, London.
Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 (1999). The Stationery Office, London
109
Published by The Stationery Office and available from:
The Stationery Office
(mail, telephone and fax orders only)
PO Box 29, Norwich NR3 1GN
Telephone orders/General enquiries 0870 600 5522
Fax orders 0870 600 5533
www.itsofficial.net
The Stationery Office Bookshops
123 Kingsway, London WC2B 6PQ
020 7242 6393 Fax 020 7242 6412
68–69 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6AD
0121 236 9696 Fax 0121 236 9699
33 Wine Street, Bristol BS1 2BQ
0117 926 4306 Fax 0117 929 4515
9–21 Princess Street, Manchester M60 8AS
0161 834 7201 Fax 0161 833 0634
16 Arthur Street, Belfast BT1 4GD
028 9023 8451 Fax 028 9023 5401
The Stationery Office Oriel Bookshop
18–19 High Street, Cardiff CF1 2BZ
029 2039 5548 Fax 029 2038 4347
71 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AZ
0870 606 5566 Fax 0870 606 5588
The Stationery Office’s Accredited Agents
(see Yellow Pages)
and through good booksellers
9 780113 223107
ISBN 0-11-322310-2