The Principles of Assessment
Assessment is an integral part of a practitioner’s day to day work when working with children and their families. Assessments are undertaken by all professionals every time they see a child and make judgements as to how that child is presenting and any concerns that may be raised. The assessment of neglect is no different, however due to the complexity of neglect and the fact that it is often a cumulative effect, the assessment of neglect needs to be carefully considered and robust.
It should also be remembered that neglect cases virtually never start with an allegation from a child; invariably they are from an observation by a professional, or perhaps a member of the community.
Assessment of neglect should be multi-agency, coordinated, be informed by assessment tools, and include consideration to family histories. It is important that information is shared during and on completion of an assessment as a family’s self-report may not always be accurate. This was a key message from our Young Safeguarder’s when we consulted them on the topic of neglect and they said to us… ‘Try to speak to children separately, parents may say things are going really well when they’re not and you need to hear from children how they think things are going.’
It is also essential that each child within a family unit is considered individually as not all children in the family unit with have the same experiences, relationships, and reliance upon their primary caregiver.
Neglect may also take place outside of a traditional parent-child relationship and therefore it is important to be aware of the need to assess the risk of neglect for children living in all family and care arrangements.
Assessments are not stand alone and it is important to remember that once an assessment is completed the professional task is not complete. Assessments should contribute to an understanding of the risk and protective factors for a child which will enable professionals to build a plan of support and enable neglect to be responded to effectively.
Key Areas of Consideration
The below diagram illustrates the main components of any assessment.
The Multi-Agency Framework for Assessment
To provide a model for the above key areas of consideration Working Together 2023 provides an example of an assessment framework commonly known as ‘The Triangle. It investigates three domains:
• the child’s developmental needs
• the capacity of parents or carers (resident and non-resident) and any other adults living in the household to respond to those needs
• the impact and influence of the family network and any other adults living in the household as well as community and environmental circumstances
This shared framework provides the basis of assessments in Plymouth from early help to statutory social work.
With the ‘triangle’ in mind let’s take a closer look at the above key areas of consideration
OBSERVATIONS OF THE CHILD
It is essential when assessing neglect that time is taken to make detailed observations of the child. This will include observations of the child within their home setting as well as gathering information surrounding their presentation in other settings, for example, within school. To do this:
1. Consider how the child looks and how they behave. Consider observations of the child and consider this against their expected child development of a child of their age.
2. Complete observations of the child/caregiver relationship and assess the quality of this.
3. Speak to the multi-agency group about how a child presents within other settings.
4. Consider a child’s friendships and any difficulties a child may have in forming relationships.
5. Consider if a child’s presentation changes within different settings and the reason that this might occur.
It is essential that a trauma informed lens is used when completing observations of children. When working with a child who may be showing behaviours which may be viewed as ‘challenging’ or ‘risky’ move towards understanding the message that a child’s behaviour is trying to convey, rather than placing blame onto a child. This is not to excuse the behaviour but to understand it.
UNDERSTANDING CHILD’S LIVED EXPERIENCE
When assessing neglect, it is crucial that a child’s daily lived experiences are understood. We need to listen and observe what children are telling us or showing us through their behaviour and interactions with carers and connect with what negelct feels like for them from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep. To do this:
1. Gain the children’s views, wishes and feelings through direct work to understand what a day in their life is like.
2. Ask children what is important to them, if they feel safe, and what they would hope for their future.
3.Record the child’s own words throughout the assessment.
4. Be mindful that communication may need to be adapted for children that are too young to speak and/or are non-verbal.
4. Gain information in respect of the child’s health, education, emotional and behavioural needs, self-care needs, social presentation and their family and social relationships
6. Consider if a child is becoming involved in substance misuse, criminal activity, sexual exploitation or is struggling with their mental health.
UNDERSTANDING PARENT/CARER CONTEXT
When assessing and responding to neglect it is important we understand the range of parent factors which may impact on a parent’s ability to provide ‘good enough’ parenting to their child. To do this:
1. Be alert to parental factors including parents with learning disabilities and/or difficulties; adult mental health; domestic abuse; and alcohol or drug misuse and the impact upon parenting capacity.
2. Consider if there are any family dynamics to be mindful of within the home environment. This could include any unknown partners or stepchildren within the household.
3. Consider the parent’s own experience of being parented and if they have been provided with a positive understanding of parenting within their own childhoods.
4. Be alert to themes of parental angagement.
5. Ensure the views of fathers and other significant males are included throughout assessment.
UNDERSTANDING WIDER FAMILY/ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
We need to understand the child in the context of their wider family and environmental factors. This helps to understand the factors which may be contributing to and maintaining neglectful care for a family. To do this:
1. Undertake a genogram that includes a child’s wider family members and key people in their life. Explore the role that wider family can take to support a child.
2. Speak to wider family members about their understanding of the child and family’s needs.
3. Explore the housing, employment, income, social integration of a family.
4. Explore what social support systems the family can access. This will include their ability to engage with community resources.
5. Be mindful of what help has been offerred previously and any patterns or reasons why the family haven’t made use of help in the past.
THE USE OF ASSESSMENT TOOLS
In Plymouth we have agreed that the Graded Care Profile 2 is our shared multi-agency assessment tool to understand and measure the quality of care a child is receiving. Please take a look at our Neglect Practitioners Toolkit where you can find all the information about the GCP2 along with other tools you can use in your direct work with children to help undertand what life is like for them. Assessment tools should not be used alone but to support and underpin a clear picture of the child’s unique experiences and we should always be open and honest about what tools are being used with them and why.
CONSIDERATION OF HISTORY
Consideration of a family’s history is especially important in the assessment of neglect as there may be fewer critical incidents and professional curiosity is necessary to identify if children have been exposed to chronic and long-term harm. To do this:
1. Ensure that a child has an up to date chronology which provides a concise summary view of events and interventions in a child’s life in date order.
2. Consider how long the family have expereinced a need for help and how long worries have existed for the child. What’s changed in terms of the presenting situation?
3. Consider the support that has already been provided to the family and the impact of this support.
INFORMATION SHARING
we should be proactive in sharing information at the earliest opportunity to provide a coordinated response to a child and family’s needs and not assume that someone else will pass on information that they may keep a child safe.
To do this:
1. We should go back to any agency referrla referral and check the details of the concerns raised for a child.
2. Information should be gained and shared from the multi-agency team surrounding a child.
3. Be mindful that all self-reported information from families is triangulated with professional information and observation.
4. Ensure that information has been accurately understood and accurately recorded within assessments.
We have a separate section on information sharing as part of this guidance so click HERE for more information.
Analysis
Without analysis, assessments lack direction and only provide a description surrounding the child and their experiences. Analysing assessments means that we consider the severity and frequency of concerns alongside the likelihood of harm.
More information can be found on our analysis page so please click HERE for all the detail.