Assessments

The maximum time frame for the assessment to conclude, such that it is possible to reach a decision on the next steps, should be no longer than 45 working days from the point of referral. If, in discussion with a child and their family and other professionals, an assessment exceeds 45 working days, the social worker and professionals involved should record the reasons for exceeding the time limit. In some cases, the needs of the child will mean that a quick assessment will be required. In all cases, as practitioners identify needs during the assessment, they do not need to wait until the assessment concludes before providing support or commissioning services to support the child and their family.

More information about the timescales can be found here. 

The assessment should be focused on and capture the child’s individual needs including understanding of their culture and identity in the context of their family.

The areas explored in the assessment are informed by the three domains: child developmental needs; family and environmental factors; and parenting capacity in the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families 2000).

Any identified support needs should be addressed during the course of the assessment and practitioners should not wait until the end of the assessment to explore support.

The assessment needs to:

• Be undertaken with parental consent unless there is significant risk of harm to the child and the assessment is being completed as part of a S47 enquiry;
• Be restorative and strength based;
• include information from other agencies;
• include the voice of children and young people;
• include the voice of both parents and family;
• Be outcome focused with clear analysis and recommendations;
• Be transparent so families do not wait until the end to know the outcome; and
• Be shared with families and their views recorded.

The benefits of the child and family assessment are that it:

• Is one single assessment—families are not subjected to a number of different assessments by social workers. Social worker time is maximised, for example there is no need to do a separate report for court.
• Is a less prescriptive format—social workers are provided with guidance throughout the assessment but are able to exercise their professional judgement about what is included in the assessment.
• Emphasises direct work with the child and the family— the child’s voice in addition to the voice of the family should be evidenced from the start and throughout the assessment.
• Focuses on analysis and action— analysis is prompted throughout the assessment including reviewing the original reason for the referral. Any actions or services to be provided can be acted on as soon as they are identified (with manager approval) without needing to wait for the assessment to be concluded.

The child and family assessment is carried out by qualified social workers who will need to plan their work carefully to ensure completion within the timescales.

The assessment work is likely to include consultation with practitioners from other agencies and anyone consulted should prioritise ensure that they provide their views and other information in a timely way to help make the assessment as robust as possible so that the child, young person and their family are helped as required.

For more information you can read:

• Working Together to Safeguard Children 
• The Munro Review of Child Protection
• TriX web based assessment information