4.6 Initial Assessment |
Contents
- What is an Initial Assessment
- Function and Purpose
- Process of the Initial Assessment
- Specific Action for Social Worker (in the Assessment Team)
- Timescale
- Involving Parents
- Possible Outcomes of the Initial Assessment
- Feedback After Initial Assessment
1. What is an Initial Assessment?
If, as a result of a Referral, there are indications that the child is a Child in Need, which may include concerns of Significant Harm, an Initial Assessment must be conducted. This is a brief assessment to determine whether the child is in need, or there are concerns of Significant Harm, the nature of any services required and whether a further, more detailed Core Assessment should be undertaken.
The Initial Assessment must be undertaken in accordance with the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families.
An Initial Assessment is defined as the analysis of initial information gathered on a child; her/his parent or care givers' ability to respond to her/his needs; and the role of the wider family and community. This assessment includes information gathered from key agencies as part of a Common Assessment.
If a Common Assessment has been completed prior to referral, this must be discussed with the practitioner who completed it. This will enable staff to pool their knowledge and expertise and reach a shared, better informed view of the child's needs. If achievable within the required timescale, a joint visit may be appropriate.
2. Function and Purpose
- To provide a timely and effective response to referrals of Children in Need and/or children in need of protection
- To promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people
- To prevent the separation of children from their families where it is safe to do so
- To deal with referrals in accordance with national and local legislative and procedural requirements, and agreed quality standards
3. Process of the Initial Assessment
The Initial Assessment should be led by a qualified and experienced Social Worker supervised by a highly experienced and qualified social work manager. It should be carefully planned, with clarity about who is doing what, as well as when and what information is to be shared with the parents.
The process of Initial Assessment should involve:
- Seeing and speaking to the child (according to age and understanding), alone with the consent of the parent /carer.
- If consent is not given explore the reason for this with the parent/ carer and reach a conclusion about whether this impacts on the action needed to address the referred concerns. If it does, these should be discussed with the Assistant Team Manager and decisions made about the way forward.
- Seeking parental consent to the Initial Assessment and agreement to contact other professionals as appropriate depending on the level of risk to the child and using 'Consent form for an Initial Assessment of my child and Family'. Establish if full consent or partial consent is given and record on Initial Assessment Form
- Seeing and speaking to family members as appropriate. Interviews with family members (including the child) should be undertaken in their preferred language and where appropriate for some people by using non-verbal communication methods.
- Involving the person who made the referral, obtaining and analysing relevant information from professionals and others in contact with the child and family.
The worker carrying out the Initial Assessment must make it clear to the agencies consulted that the information provided for the assessment may be shared with the family and other agencies and will contribute to the assessment.
All relevant (including historical) information must be taken into account. All agencies consulted must make immediate checks of their records for previous history and information that is relevant and helpful in deciding the level of enquiry that is required.
This includes seeking information from relevant services if the child and family have spent time abroad.
Professionals from all agencies should request this information from their equivalent agencies in the country(ies) in which the child has lived. Information about who to contact can be obtained via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 0207 008 1500 or the appropriate Embassy or Consulate based in London (see the London Diplomatic List (The Stationery Office), ISBN 0 11 591772 1 or the FCO website).
Non- attendance at school - If during the course of an assessment it is established that a school age child is not attending school or on the roll of a school, the Social Worker must contact the Pupil Tracking Officer / Co-ordinator (Education Welfare Service) so that appropriate action can be taken. If the child has a Statement of Special Educational Needs, the SEN Officer must be contacted.
As part of the Initial Assessment information gathering process, any files relating to the family should be retrieved from archive and read to identify issues that may be relevant to the current needs of the child. Any existing chronology should be read and carried forward onto the new file and if there are clearly significant issues but no chronology, a chronology should be completed. This applies to all cases previously known or new cases progressing to Core Assessment or beyond. If this cannot be achieved within the 10 day time frame, the Initial Assessment must record that it is based on partial information.
It is an expectation that all new cases should have a chronology before closure and that all Initial Assessments for re-referred cases should have a chronology.
4. Specific Action for Social Worker (in the Assessment Team)
The Initial Assessment should be led by a qualified and experienced social worker who is supervised by a highly experienced and qualified social work manager. It should be carefully planned, with clarity about who is doing what, as well as when and what information is to be shared with the parents. The planning process and decisions about the timing of the different assessment activities should be undertaken in collaboration with all those involved with the child and family. The process of Initial Assessment should involve:
- Seeing and speaking to the child, including alone when appropriate;
- Seeing and meeting with parents, the family and wider family members as appropriate;
- Involving and obtaining relevant information from professionals and others in contact with the child and family; and
- Drawing together and analysing available information (focusing on the strengths and positive factors as well as vulnerabilities and risk factors) from a range of sources (including existing agency records).
The Initial Assessment should address the following questions:
- What are the developmental needs of the child? What needs of the child are being met and how? What needs of the child are not being met and why not?
- Are the parents able to respond appropriately to the child's identified needs? Is the child being adequately safeguarded from harm, and are the parents able to promote the child's health and development?
- What impact are family functioning (past and present) and history, and the wider family and environmental factors having on the parent's capacity to respond to their child's needs and the child's developmental progress?
- Is action required to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child? Within what timescales should this action be taken?
An Initial Assessment is deemed completed once the assessment has been discussed with the child and family and authorised by the manager. The Initial Assessment must be signed and dated by the Social Worker and signed off and approved by the Manager.
5. Timescale
The Initial Assessment must be completed within 10 working days of receipt of the referral. However, the time taken to complete the Initial Assessment may be very brief if it quickly becomes clear that there is 'reasonable cause to suspect the child is suffering or likely to suffer Significant Harm'.
A child with a significant physical injury should be seen by a social worker on the same working day as the referral is received, and urgent medical treatment must be arranged if it is required.
The child should be seen within a timescale that is appropriate to the nature of concerns expressed at the time of the referral, according to the agreed plan (which may include seeing the child without her/his caregivers present).
This includes observing and communicating with the child in a manner appropriate to her/his age and understanding. Children Social Care Services are required by the Children Act 1989 (as amended by Section 53 of the Children Act 2004) to ascertain the child's wishes and feelings about the provision of services and give them due consideration before determining what (if any) services to provide.
It will not necessarily be clear whether a criminal offence has been committed, which means that even initial discussions with the child should be undertaken in a way that minimises distress to them and maximises the likelihood that she or he will provide accurate and complete information, avoiding leading or suggestive questions.
6. Involving Parents
Parents' permission, or the child's where appropriate, should be sought before discussing a referral about them with other agencies unless permission-seeking may itself place the child at increased risk of suffering Significant Harm - see Information Sharing.
In these circumstances, a manager from Children Social Care Services may decide to consult other relevant agencies without seeking parental consent or when parental consent is sought but not given. Any such decision must be recorded with reasons.
See also 'Working with Uncooperative Families while Safeguarding Children Guidance' and 'Working with Violent and Abusive Families while Safeguarding Children Guidance' (which are accessible via the 'Guidance & Protocols' button on the left hand menu).
When parents and family members are consulted, the worker carrying out the Initial Assessment must make it clear to them that the information provided for the assessment may be shared with other agencies and will contribute to the assessment.
7. Possible Outcomes of the Initial Assessment
As a result of the Initial Assessment, Children Social Care Services will decide one of the following:
- The child is not a Child in Need in which case Children Social Care Services will take no further action other than, if appropriate, to provide information and advice or 'signpost' to another agency
- The child is in need but there are no concerns about actual or likely Significant Harm, in which case Children Social Care Services must determine what services should be provided immediately via an initial Child in Need Plan and whether to initiate a more detailed Core Assessment and/or to hold a Family Group Conference (see Children in Need Procedure)
- The child is in need of protection and there are concerns that the child is suffering or is at risk of suffering Significant Harm, in which case Children's Social Care Services must hold a Strategy Discussion to decide whether or not to initiate a Section 47 Enquiry and/or a Core Assessment and consider whether any immediate protective action is required
Click here to view Referral Flowchart from Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010
The decision must be made following discussion with the child and family, unless such a discussion may place a child at increased risk of Significant Harm.
The decision must be endorsed by the Team Manager or Assistant Team Manager of the Assessment Team within Children's Social Care Services.
8. Feedback After Initial Assessment
Parents will usually be informed of the outcome of the Initial Assessment unless such a discussion may place a child at increased risk of suffering significant harm. Any decision not to share the outcome with the parents must be endorsed by a manager from Children's Social Care Services and recorded with reasons.
The family, the original referrer, and other professionals and services involved in the initial assessment should, as far as possible, be told what action has been and will be taken consistent with respecting the confidentiality of the child and family concerned, and not jeopardising further action in respect of concerns about harm (which may include police investigations). This information should be confirmed in writing to the agencies, the family and where appropriate the child.
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