1. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CRITICAL ANALYSIS IN ASSESSMENT

2. Collection of information Supporting judgements Making decisions Good assessment: Good assessment: unfocused, directionless, potentially dangerous practice Processing information, i.e. Synthesising Analysing Evaluating Concluding

3. WHAT IS THE ASSESSMENT FOR?  Provide an understanding of why the assessment is being done and what you’re expecting to get out of it (- your aims and objectives).  Be specific about the child’s needs  Be clear about the consequences or risks if the child’s needs are not met

4. WHAT IS THE STORY?  Demonstrate an understanding of the family’s history and context  Include an account of what you don’t know yet  Adopt an open mind and questioning approach – uncertainty

5. WHAT DOES THE STORY MEAN?  Show your working out ( - assessment tools)  Make sure the assessment is structured in such a way that the recommendations follow on clearly from the information obtained  Be succinct, concise and relevant ? ?

6. WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN?  Be clear about your concerns and the reasons behind your concerns  Make explicit the underpinning knowledge and evidence that have informed your argument and decisions  Be clear about whether judgements are based on your own observations or research evidence, or both  Be clear about the short- and long-term risks for the child if identified needs are not met

7. HOW WILL WE KNOW WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS? Outcomes and changes should be visible

9. VALUES - Balance of rights and needs; awareness of discrimination REASONING SKILLS – critical reflection; appraisal of risks and benefits EMOTIONAL WISDOM – emotional impact of work on self and others PRACTICE WISDOM – wisdom-informed skills from day-to-day experience and training FORMAL KNOWLEDGE – law, theories, policies, procedures, research evidence

10. SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES  curiosity  open-mindedness  manage uncertainty and not knowing  question one’s own as well as others’ assumptions  hypothesise  self-awareness  observation skills  problem-solving skills  synthesise and evaluate information from a range of sources  creativity  present one’s thoughts clearly, both verbally and in writing

11. TYPES OF INFORMATION THAT INFORM ASSESSMENT  Vivid rather than dull  Concrete rather than abstract  Emotional-laden rather than neutral  Recent rather than in the past  First impressions

15. video

16. INTUITION: ‘Immediate apprehension/insight without reasoning’. ANALYSIS: ‘The resolution or breaking up of anything complex into various simple elements’. (Oxford English Dictionary) ‘Examination of an issue, problem, topic or situation that goes beyond describing it and includes (one or more of) theories, thoughts, opinions and judgements’. (Oxford Dictionary of Social Work)

17. INTUITIVE THINKING ANALYTICAL THINKING QuickSlow ReactiveDeliberate UnconsciousAwareness of thinking Thinking widely about a lot of information Concentrating on a few key issues

18. TOOLS TO ASSIST IN ANALYSIS Chronologies Genograms Cultural review tool Culturagrams Decision trees Critical decision tool Resilience and vulnerability matrix Discrepancy matrix Signs of safety

19. CULTURAL REVIEW TOOL What do I know about individuals and families with this particular cultural background or life experience? Where does my knowledge come from? What prejudices may I hold (positive or negative)? What do I know about/expect of children of these ages, their lives and needs? What might surprise me about this family and why would it be a surprise? How might this family/parent/children perceive me? How might the assessment and my agency be perceived? What impact might the assessment have on the family's life? What agency norms and practice do I take with me on an assessment? (For example, thresholds of 'good enough parenting‘)

20. CULTURAGRAM

21. What decision is to be made? What options are there? What information is needed to help me make the choice? What are the likely/possible consequences of each option? How probable is each consequence? What are the pros and cons (desirability) of each consequence? The final decision. DECISION-MAKING TREE

23. Critical Decision Tool

24. Resilience/ Vulnerability Matrix

25. 5 types of discrepancy Informational: there is contradictory information about a child/parent from different agencies. Interpretative: different conclusions are drawn from the same information by different professionals. Interactive: the parents’ declared intentions are contradicted by actions. Incongruent: the parental manner or the way they talk about their child is inconsistent, contradictory or incoherent. Instinctual: the worker’s gut feeling suggests that something is wrong but they cannot specify what. Indications or clues about the existence of such discrepancies can occur at organisational, inter-agency, family and practitioner levels.

26. DISCREPANCY MATRIX

27. Critical, Analytical And Reflective Thinking In Assessment Rigorous and systematic thinking; Range of resources and approaches Procedures and toolkits are not a substitute for thinking and professional judgement; Individual /personal factors can constrain thinking and impact on decision-making; Systemic factors can damage the ability of the individual practitioner to think Good supervision can support the development of analytical, critical and reflective thinking in practice