Family Assessment Services

Family AssesmentWe undertake comprehensive family assessment/intervention programmes with parents to ascertain their ability to care safely for a child. We work with a range of families, varying from those requiring mainly support to those where serious abuse and/or neglect is known to have occurred. However, in the main, we work with families where there are serious concerns about the risk to a child’s well-being.

A comprehensive family assessment includes the evaluation of risk factors such as family history, domestic violence, substance abuse, alcohol misuse, mental health issues, chaotic lifestyle and poor parenting experience. In addition, the family’s strengths and protective factors are assessed to indentify resources that can support the family’s ability to meet its needs and better protect the child/ren.

We show due sensitivity to the individual needs of children and families, and all parents are treated as individuals with potential for change and throughout the assessment & intervention process we treat all family members with dignity and respect. Engagement, building relationships and working in partnership with families are of central importance in gathering meaningful information during the assessment process. We ensure parents/carers are fully aware that the child’s safety, health and welfare must be given first priority.

All assessments are guided by ‘Assessment Requirements’ (as identified by the placing Local Authority) or ‘Joint Instructions’ and an Assessment/Placement Plan is constructed prior to the commencement of an assessment. Comprehensive family assessments always consist of two elements i.e. parenting assessment and risk assessment.

Parenting Assessment

The assessment and intervention is in line with the ‘Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families’ and within this framework we systematically collect and analyse information to support our professional judgement. The assessment therefore takes into account the three domains:

  • The child’s developmental needs;
  • Parental Capacity – the parent(s) ability, commitment and motivation to respond appropriately in meeting these;
  • The wider family and environmental factors.

We provide a ‘Child Protection/Child-Centred Approach’ in which the safety of the child comes first and at all times the focus of our work with parents promotes the safety, health and welfare of the child. The assessment team (Team/Case Manager and allocated Family Assessment Workers) focus on the welfare of the child throughout the assessment process and upon strengthening families.

Risk Assessment

The risk assessment process:

  • is ongoing
  • expands as new information emerges, so that family strengths as well as problem areas need to be continuously redefined and considered in case planning
  • systematically assesses the family’s strengths and needs in order to link to the most appropriate level of services
  • takes into account the frequency, intensity and duration of risk factors and child protective factors which may decrease the risk of abuse and/or neglect.

Risk assessment is a continuous process in which the Team/Case Manager, Family Assessment Workers, and Senior Managers weigh the factors in a particular case to determine the level of safety for a child within the family.

Flexible Services to meet individual needs

Both Centres are able to provide a wide variety and a combination of various assessment arrangements in order to meet the needs of children and their families & to provide detailed information and analysis for decision making purposes.

We can work to a range of timescales and due to our resourceful tailoring of assessments; we can undertake assessments in varying formats.

Some examples of assessment methods we have found particularly effective have been:

  • 4 weeks of weekend Day Assessment, followed by 4 weeks Community Based Assessment
  • 4 weeks Residential Assessment, followed by 8 weeks Community Based Assessment
  • 6 weeks Residential Assessment, followed by 6 weeks Community Based Assessment
  • 4 weeks Residential Viability Assessment – 24 hour surveillance
  • 6 weeks Parent and Child Fostering Assessment, followed by 6 weeks Residential Assessment
  • 6 weeks Parent and Child Fostering Assessment, followed by 6 weeks Community based Assessment
  • 10 week Residential Assessment.

 

What is our uniqueness?

Dudley Lodge is committed to providing a unique first class service and believe that:

  • Quality of our assessments;
  • Flexibility of our assessments;
  • Placements not lasting any longer than they need to;
  • Stability of the staff team; and our
  • Independent status

are the components of our uniqueness.