Assessment Improvement Maureen McEnaney Safeguarding & Review Manager Every Child Matters

ASSESSMENTS Every Child Matters

Local Picture Every Child Matters

Serious Case Review Audit of children made subject to a protection plan for a second or subsequent time Assessment audit Announced Inspection Case File Audit Process Every Child Matters Findings with regard to assessments have been highlighted within the following:

Summary of Findings ICS exemplars do not easily evidence all aspects of the assessment process (in particular evidence that consent to share information has been sought). Poor compliance with sections of the exemplar (“list empty”). Insufficient recording of children’s and parents views and wishes. Assessments that do not address the issues contained in the referral. Lack of analysis of information gathered often this section was very brief and repeated information already contained in the body of the report as a result assessments are describing events but not identifying possible reasons and underlining factors for why they have occurred. Lack of risk assessment and identification of protective factors. Every Child Matters

Summary of Findings Little evidence of the use of assessment tools. Children’s needs not always identified. Lack of evidence of the contribution to assessments from partner agencies. Assessments not being clear why decisions were made. Lack of reference to evidence based decision making that referred back to research. Assessments that do not always take into consideration the relevance of the family history and were presented more of a snap shot in time. Assessments not being planned or based on focused sessions with the family. Every Child Matters

Assessment Improvement Plan Assessment Improvement Group Every Child Matters

Recommendation: Standards for the key components of assessment, planning and review should be reviewed and if necessary revised and communicated to all staff as expectations of practice. Actions: Quality standards revised and updated and circulated to all staff. Quality standard to be included in the induction pack for new employees. Every Child Matters

Recommendation: Compliance of practice against these standards should be regularly monitored and audited by managers. Actions: Programme of case file audit to be progressed. Managers to encourage practitioners to use case file audit as part of supervision and employees development. Audit practice to be improved by the provision of training to Managers and Principal Practitioners. Every Child Matters

Recommendation: The process of assessment must incorporate the family history and its relevance to current circumstances particularly in cases where there has been a substantial history of agency involvement. Actions: To promote improved mapping of information held about a family by the better use of: Every Child Matters  Chronologies  Genogram  Ecomaps

Recommendation: Improve social work practice to ensure assessments are child focussed and clearly reflect children’s and parents views and feelings. Actions: Social Care Briefing Sessions to be held and used as a focus group meeting to identify Social Workers views and ideas about how assessments can be improved. Participation to be a significant theme in practitioner workshops to share good practice. Every Child Matters

Recommendation: As well as established training courses and regular formal case supervision sessions, additional activities should be undertaken such as practitioner led workshops, action learning sets, complex case clinics and assessment mentors to promote improved practice with regard to assessment. Actions: Deliver a comprehensive Safeguarding and Specialist Services learning and development programme. Introduction of the Blended Learning Model. Programme of practitioner led workshops to be developed (Breakfast Clubs and Lunch and Learn). Managers to receive training on supervising assessment practice. Complex case clinics to run along side legal consultation panel from September Assessment mentors identified and currently working on the programme of practitioner workshops. Every Child Matters

Recommendation: Multiple sources of information should be used in the assessment process as oppose to relying solely on case records. Action: Workers to routinely produce Genograms and Chronologies to identify all possible sources of information. Assessments to be undertaken on a multi agency basis. Every Child Matters

Recommendation: Core assessments should be well planned and based on focussed assessment sessions held with the family. The case record should provide a record of when these sessions took place, who was involved and a summary of topics discussed. Action: Case supervision to have oversight of this aspect of assessment practice. Every Child Matters

Recommendation: Multi agency planning meetings should be held as soon as a core assessment is initiated. A planning tool should be developed to support this procedure based on the Assessment Framework triangle to identify the key issues on which to focus and what contribution the involved agencies would be expected to make. Regular review meetings of progress should be put in place as part of this process. Actions: Core Assessment Planning Tool developed. Multi-agency Practice Guidance with regard to assessment being commissioned by the HSCB. Every Child Matters

Recommendation: Use of assessment tools should be embedded into assessment practice to enhance the quality of reports in particular with regard to risk assessment. Action: Assessment Improvement Group to identify a range of assessment tools and organise workshop sessions with Social Workers to increase their use in assessments. Every Child Matters

Recommendation: Current assessment exemplars to be reviewed and recommendations regarding changes to be progressed via the ICS practitioners group and direct discussions with the provider. Actions: ICS mapping day has been held. New Core Assessment exemplar in development. Every Child Matters

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