Quality Assessments

1. Quality Assessments

2. Quality Assessments Quality Assessments Key Aims/Learning Outcomes: Greater understanding of the assessment purpose/process Greater understanding and application of critical analysis in assessment Improved confidence/competent practice Greater understanding and application of legislation, policies, procedures, guidance, theory and research available and easily accessible to support/inform practice Improved quality of supervision Improved time scales for children and families Link to CPD Framework

3. Liverpool Children’s Services are raising practice standards and overall practice of staff through providing workshops aimed at developing and building current skills practice experience and knowledge in the area of assessment. The Assessment Service have devised a minimum practice standards policy which should now be applied in practice within the Assessment Service. Many of the standards within the policy will be explored further today. Most useful as a daily point of reference is contained within Appendix B page 27 ten pitfalls in assessments of need and risk and how to avoid them and Appendix C page 28 The eight Data Protection Act Principles. The pack contains an appendices and numerous references to inform practice and overall performance.

4. Why raise practice standards: Serious Case reviews have and continue to highlight the importance of good assessments in preventing harm and providing for positive outcomes for Children and Families. Children’s History viewing files and decision making in their lives There is an overall variation in the quality of assessments across Children’s Services and this has been highlighted by Ofsted as an area for improvement We are in the business of making decisions that can change the course of a child’s life we need to ensure this is achieved in a positive informed and effective manner. We are professionals representing the Local Authority in terms of the quality of the assessments we produce and we need to ensure a good minimum standard. The information contained in the assessment is the families who are entitled to and should be given a copy The Local Authority often receive complaints from family and professionals alike regarding the content and poor quality of assessments or the information contained within them. The courts could ask for these documents at a later date and you could be called to account for the content within the court arena. We need to regain our sense of autonomy, ownership professional integrity, decision making and confidence in the assessment completed. Assessments which in turn it is hoped will help to develop a greater sense of competence. A sense personal responsibility and pride in the standard of work we produce as practitioners.

5. Gardener provides a nexus of conditions on the theme of knowledge: Know how information is to be used Know why certain information is required Know where information for a particular purpose can be found Know why/when certain information is required Process information clearly Gardener 1995

6. Purpose of assessment: (Broad Aim) Identify Needs Identify Risk Explore Viability Informing Decision Making Provide appropriate intervention at the right level and at the right time

7. The problems in assessment seem to lie in the move from the collection of data or information to its use in practice to support judgement or decision-making. A number of commentators have observed that social workers are generally good communicators and skilled at gathering information about families and their circumstances then have difficulty in processing the material they have collated. The difficulties seem to lie in synthesising and analysing the data, evaluating it and drawing conclusions. Turney 2014 (rip.org.uk)

8. The Anchore Principle: • provide a framework for thinking in your assessments • Help to organise structure thinking A five question guide to the stages of analytical assessment (Anchor Principle) • What is the assessment for? • What is the story? • What does the story mean? • What needs to happen? • How will we know we are making progress? Rip (Analysis and Critical Thinking in Assessment Handbook)

9. Group Identify what type of assessment Children's Services Currently Complete: • Parenting / Capacity to change assessment • Single assessment • Risk assessment • Viability • Specialist •  Section 47 enquiries investigation / Assessment

10. A poor assessment is: Table discussion: No voice of the child Does not explore/reflect for the child the experience surrounding the issue of concern, what they want to happen Does not take into account views of relevant others Repetitive Is not evidence based Does not provide for appropriate challenge Does not make sense of the information gathered in terms of what needs to happen to improve the outcome for the child Timed out (no longer relevant/significant Does not consider theory, serious case reviews and current research Is not Forensic in it’s approach

11. A good assessment is: Pathway to assessment and treatment – FRAMEA model (Glaser 2001)

12. Discuss : as detailed within the rip. Emotional abuses and neglect • Identify and responding in practice with families leaflet. • Provides for the voice and/or of observations of the child pertaining to the issue of concern • Is specific about the individual child’s needs, rather than following a generic assessment template • Provides for the voice of parent’s/professionals (inc perpetrators) • Considers views of what relevant people feel needs to happen to bring about the required change if any • Considers the Working Together Assessment Framework in terms of environmental factors, • seven dimensions of need and parenting capacity to inform the assessment • Considers available evidence to support or dispute the risk/need • Considers equality and diversity • Reflective/Analytical • Timely • Informed by research and theory

13. Voice of the Child Eliciting the voice of the child Tools to inform practice Teen, Tots, Kids Talk docs The child with no spoken English The child with no vocabulary Voice of the child docs Practical interactive skills Non leading questions Showing sensitivity/empathy Being inquisitive Showing interest Being patient Child centre (not using child to interpret for parent) Age appropriate

14. Table discussion/activity:

15. Time is an important/vital factor in s.47 enquiries and it should be determined within a maximum period of 72 hours and interim plans should be considered to ensure the immediate safety of a child. • Where there is identified risk of significant harm the case should proceed to ICPC to ensure a multi agency approach to reducing/managing risk. (See the Social Work planning and Assessment Model: • Flowchart for timescales)

17. Good Practice Steps • Ensure culturally sensitive • Recognise diversity • Celebrate difference – recognise that difference is strength not a weakness and that it is impossible to have an exhaustive guidance on these issues. Therefore, embrace difference rather than see it as a problem. • If in doubt ask – do not assume anything, especially about body language and gestures. It is better to confirm an obvious fact than assume wrongly. • Not every member of a cultural group is an expert – do not assume that blanket statements on ethnic and cultural groups are true. There are always individual and sub-group differences. Always take time to find out. • Use any information you may have on cultural background to inform your judgement. • Identify the cultural background of families you are dealing with. A colour-blind approach is not an option. • Whenever possible, recognise that there are different ways to communicate in different cultures and be flexible about how best to conduct an objective and open dialogue. If possible use independent interpreters so as to assure impartiality and the quality of information received. • Review and challenge yourself about the quality of your approach to cultural diversity • Names are very important for some people. It tells a great deal about who they are. Names have meanings and sometimes history. It is very important to get the spelling and pronunciation correct; failure to do either may cause offence. Avoid the use of shortened versions or nicknames. If in doubt, ask the person to repeat, write it down if it helps you. To ask for a person’s Christian Name can be offensive to people who are of other religions or belief systems. Therefore the term ‘Christian name’ should be dropped. In a diverse multi-cultural society it is better to describe names as being first/personal, second/middle, last/family/religious.

18. Importance of Supervision in developing reflection and analytical and Critical Thinking Adopt the Anchor principles during case discussions in supervision Opportunity to talk through cases share ideas Sometimes can’t see the wood for the trees Sometimes creates light bulb moment Allows for two way appropriate challenge Clarify what information may need to be collated to meet the purpose of the assessment Informs and guides decision making Ensuring outcomes are linked directly to the needs you have identified and can be measured to assess progress by lead professional

19. Analysis: What does it mean? Analysis should attempt to make sense of the information gathered in the body of the assessment not be repetitive. In the case of assessment/safeguarding it should demonstrate whether the child’s needs are met and they are safeguarded and or identify explicitly areas of concern/need and whether these concerns pose such a risk to the child a threshold is met to escalate case and or an identified unmet need can be met by the provision or s. 17 services and or early help services. (Early Help Directory)

20. The Working Together Assessment Framework Triangle also helps to identify specific areas of concern and can be used to organise thinking when analysing the information gathered and being explicit about the area of need or risk. • Which areas of need are unmet • Do unmet areas pose a risk of significant harm • Do immediate measure need to be taken to safeguard child/young person • What needs to happen to reduce need/risk • Who is best placed to support child/family in meeting desired outcomes • (Working Together 2013)

22. Every Child Matters Enjoy and achieve Be healthy Achieve economic wellbeing Stay safe Making a positive contribution to society

23. Outcome focused analysis Children often replica what they learn and see from their families hence evidence of generational cycles of neglect/abuse family dysfunction. In order to address these identified concerns/issues practitioners need to be explicit about risk factors , the desired outcomes for the child to reach optimal potential and what actions are required to address concern.

24. A child exposed to ongoing domestic violence within the home A child may come to believe that violence is an appropriate solution to managing conflict. A child may be caught in the cross fire of domestic violence and be harmed as a result. A desired outcome may be for the child not to be exposed to domestic violence that parent’s teach the alternative more appropriate ways to manage conflict i.e. time out, talking, parents learning alternative ways to manage conflict to ensure the child stays safe; is not emotionally harmed; or caught up in the cross fire. This would provide the child with optimal life chance of being health, staying safe and achieving economic well being i.e. not getting involved in the criminal justice system, not becoming victims or perpetrators of violence.

25. A Child Exposed to Parental Substance Misuse • A risk could be the child may access parents substances and consume these • The child comes to accept substance misuse as normal and acceptable • The child develops insecure attachments and behavioural problems • The parents is not emotionally and physically available to the child • The parents are not adequately providing materially for the child as a result of spending their income on substances • The desired outcome is that the child is not exposed to parental substance misuse so that a parent is present, available and appropriately responsive to the child’s needs. • Parents may be required to engage in an addiction programme to address this issue • Ultimately the desired outcome would be non exposure to parental substance misuse for the child to reach optimal potential. To ensure the child stays safe, remains healthy, enjoys and achieve and makes a positive contribution to society.

26. A Child Missing Education or with unmet health needs • What are the risks • What would be the desired outcome • What actions are required to address identified concern