Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation Assessing parental capacity What I need people to think about

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Learning outcomes To assess parents’ capacity to respond to a child’s needs P12 Assessing parental capacity2

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Keep the child at the centre Any assessment of the parenting capacity has to keep a firm focus on the direct experience of the child. P12 Assessing parental capacity3

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Understanding the impact of parental problems Problems that affect parenting capacity are frequently not addressed or understood. Unless the root problems affecting parenting capacity are assessed and addressed, children are likely to continue to experience chronic neglect. P12 Assessing parental capacity4

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 What children need from people who look after them Everyday care and help. Keeping me safe. Being there for me. Play, encouragement and fun. Guidance, supporting me to make the right choices. Knowing what is going to happen and when. Understanding my family’s background and beliefs. P12 Assessing parental capacity5

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 What the child needs from their wider world Support from family, friends and other people. School. Enough money. Work opportunities for my family. Local resources. Comfortable and safe housing. Belonging. P12 Assessing parental capacity6

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Start with engagement with parents The task is to empathise and work with parents (wherever possible) while retaining a focus on the child and their welfare. Specific challenges will include: how to be honest and clear with parents without creating hostility; how to be empathic without colluding with unacceptable behaviour; how to reconcile the different imperatives of the role within practice with parents. (Forrester et.al. 2008, p24) P12 Assessing parental capacity7

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 What do parents tell us? They want workers who are: courteous turn up on time speak directly to them don’t use jargon ‘listen and ‘really hear’ and accept what is being said explain what is happening and why do what they say they are going to do and don’t over-promise say honestly when they can’t help Aae patient and make enough time to understand. Source: Teaching and learning communication skills in social work – SCIE 2004 Guide 5 P12 Assessing parental capacity8

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Barriers to engagement Parents may have fears that their children will be removed from their care (or not returned if already removed). They may deliberately avoid contact with professionals – physically or emotionally. They may appear to be co-operating with professionals whilst not really accepting the concerns about neglect. Their lives may be fraught with a series of crises that deflect from sustained attention to the assessment process. P12 Assessing parental capacity9

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Theoretical framework Assessment must be both chronological and ecological – a snapshot and a movie. Parent history and parent/child history Key transition Current circumstances P12 Assessing parental capacity10

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Plan for assessment Assess the factors affecting parenting capacity. Chronology and past history and patterns within cases. Parents current ability to form a range of healthy relationships as indicated by: balance of attention to children's needs and own needs awareness of effects of relationships ability to take responsibility for behaviour meeting the child’s needs. P12 Assessing parental capacity11

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Importance of past history Definitions of a chronology include: ‘A list in date order of all the major changes and events in a person’s life.’ ‘A chronology seeks to provide a clear account of all significant events in a child’s life to date, drawing upon the knowledge and information held by agencies involved with the child and family.’ ‘The purpose of a chronology is early indications of emerging patterns of concern.’ (Social Work Inspection Agency 2010) P12 Assessing parental capacity12

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Importance of past history Compiling a chronology: decide on purpose identify key elements to be recorded make sure information is accurate and in date order take account of adult’s perspective Core elements of a chronology: key dates: births, life events, moves key facts life changes, transitions brief note of events and actions taken. (Social Work Inspection Agency 2010) P12 Assessing parental capacity13

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Assess capacity to change Parent’s willingness to accept responsibility for aspects of their problem over which they have some control. Parent’s ability to change, linked with child’s developmental needs and timescales, and extent to which compromised. Parent’s willingness to change. P12 Assessing parental capacity14

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Assessing impact of parental problems In many cases of neglect, parents are affected by: domestic abuse mental health problems substance misuse learning disabilities or a combination of the above. There needs to be in-depth assessments of the specific ways in which these parental problems are affecting parenting capacity. P12 Assessing parental capacity15

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 What would help? The planned interventions should take account of an analysis of the reason for the continuation of parental problems. Does there need to be therapeutic help for underlying emotional distress? Is specialist treatment required? Of what type and by whom? Is support required to develop a range of healthy relationships? Does the mother need help to separate from a violent partner? P12 Assessing parental capacity16

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Impact of wider family factors If isolated from extended family: may be a deliberate protective strategy; may be due to difficulties with attachment relationships; may be due to distance, resources, time - for example. Parents need opportunity to explore and understand these areas and the positives and negatives of re-connecting with extended family members. P12 Assessing parental capacity17

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Impact of environmental factors Assess the interaction between the wider family/family functioning/ family history affecting parenting capacity and wider environmental factors. Are practical help and resources required? If so, in what way should they be provided and the impact of their use measured for change over time? What can the parent do to buffer the child from the effects of deprivation? P12 Assessing parental capacity18

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 ‘Recognising the past in the present’ Adults will have ‘internal working models’ of relationships formed on the basis of childhood experiences of being parented. Parents can unconsciously be affected by their internal working models in their interactions with their own children. Assessing and helping people to recognise these patterns is an important part of assessment and their planning. P12 Assessing parental capacity19

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Capacity and willingness to change Capacity to change: prior evidence of changes as a result of interventions; examples of concrete improvements over time; capacity to translate information into action. Willingness / motivation to change acceptance of responsibility for own actions; sustained changes over time; making use or/accessing available resources and services. P12 Assessing parental capacity20

Childhood Neglect: Improving Outcomes for Children Presentation P12 Assessing parental ‘intentions’ ‘There is a linguistic and conceptual dilemma between a wish and need to protect children from harm, and a reluctance to label or blame caregivers who hold a primary role and responsibility in the child's life’ (Glaser 2002) Assessing intention: is not necessary to determine that there is neglect; is not necessary for a decision to start to intervene; is essential in deciding the nature of intervention; is essential for deciding what legal action to initiate. P12 Assessing parental capacity21