Assessment Process

Pre-Admission Stage

The Project Manager is responsible for ensuring information relating to the parents' and children's histories (including any experience of abuse and/or neglect) is obtained prior to admission.

The Project Manager will give due consideration to the family's racial, cultural, religious and linguistic background.

Where abuse and/or neglect has occurred clear guidance/recommendations must be gained from all relevant professionals (e.g. Social Workers, psychologists, psychiatrists) prior to any commencement of assessment. Where such interventions/conclusions are incomplete, specific time frames must be agreed regarding the integration, review and completion of this work in relation to the residential assessment.

A documented risk assessment (Risk/Contributory Factors Form) will be formulated during/following the reading of all relevant documentation.

The required levels of monitoring (e.g. audio monitoring), observation and supervision, for the purposes of assessment and protection, will be clearly established at the Placement Plan Meeting, attended by the Parent(s), allocated Team Manager, Social Worker and, where possible, any other relevant parties. Such discussions will serve to identify the exact level and nature of monitoring/supervision required in relation to:

  1. childcare tasks and
  2. day-to-day living.

Also during this meeting, any additional needs of the child(ren) will be ascertained and documented. Finally, the Objectives of the placement will be clearly stated and recorded.

Engagement Stage

Team Manager and Linkworkers (allocated family assessment workers):

  • Develop a collaborative relationship with the parent(s), using individual/group work sessions to evaluate circumstances, situations and actions, and promote opportunities and pathways for change.
  • Identify how the Parent(s) views the problems/concerns/difficulties.
  • Identify how relative 'systems' affect the problems/concerns/difficulties.

Team Manager, Linkworkers and the parent(s):

  • Work as a team to focus upon positive parenting, concerns, issues and difficulties.

Information Gathering Stage

Team Manager, Linkworkers and Family Assessment Workers:

  • Make systematic observations of children and their parent(s).
  • Gather and collate facts, and information relevant to family functioning, positive parenting and the identified problems/concerns/difficulties.
  • Gather information relating to parent-child interactions, relationships and attachments via direct observation.
  • Collect information relevant to each parent's social support systems, personal history, family and community in order to establish a clear picture of relevant social and environmental factors that precipitated, maintain or enforce the current problems/ concerns/difficulties.

Team Manager, Linkworkers and the Parent(s):

  • Explore the issues identified by Dudley Lodge, in addition to those identified by others.
  • Define positive parenting and the problems/concerns/difficulties and state these in terms that are clearly comprehensible to the parent(s).
  • Explore the specifics of these problems/concerns/difficulties.
  • Identify strengths, resources and social systems to facilitate/assist in effecting change.
  • Brainstorm/facilitate a range of possible solutions.

Assessment Stage

Team Manager and Linkworkers:

  • Analyse current information (along with historical information) and make objective and rational analysis of various actions to resolve the presenting problems/ concerns/ difficulties.
  • Identify needs, strengths, parenting deficits and risk.
  • Strive to empower the parent(s) to build upon their strengths.
  • Assess each parent's strengths and integrate these within the subsequent intervention.

Team Manager, Linkworkers and the parent(s):

  • Identify each parent's coping strategies, level of understanding and potential to change.
  • Identify behavioural targets for change, and then establish which related systems could subsequently effect the required change.
  • Brainstorm previously identified solutions and compare, contrast and evaluate these in order to develop an effective plan/strategy.

They then set measurable and achievable goals to address the identified problems/concerns/difficulties, - and identify a means of review.

Approach/Methods of Work with Parents Who Experience a Learning Difficulty

We work from the premise that parents are the 'experts' of their particular life experiences, acknowledging that their responses to, and interpretations of, various situations and circumstances are highly individualised. Consequently prescriptive approaches are generally deemed to be ineffective, and we instead aim to focus on tailoring our work to the specific needs of each individual parent/family.

Our work is person centred in that we seek to focus on:

  • Enabling - access to the means to develop new skills
  • Empowering - supporting parents in making their own decisions and speaking up for themselves
  • Enhancing - of self-esteem by providing the opportunity to develop and demonstrate competence
  • Extending - social networks

We incorporate materials advocated by renowned specialists in this area (e.g. Dr Sue McGaw, BILD), and seek to develop upon these resources wherever possible.

Additionally, we use a combination of the following strategies:

  • The breakdown of tasks into easily identifiable steps
  • Practical demonstration of tasks to assist learning
  • Repetition of teaching/input
  • Role playing of situations (e.g. telephone liaison with the DSS, discussing the child's health/symptoms with a GP)
  • Addressing issues on a gradual basis, tackling stages one at a time to avoid the parent feeling overwhelmed and inadequate
  • Use of prompt cards, pictorial materials, symbols, digital clocks, diagrams and clear, unambiguous language
  • Ensuring the parent is directly involved at each stage of the assessment process.

Intervention Stage

Team Manager and Linkworkers:

  • Are responsible for planning, and providing structure and feedback within, the intervention.
  • Provide ongoing input via daily advice and guidance, in addition to structured individual work and group work sessions.
  • Will assist (by various methods/strategies) the parent to achieve changes required to promote their child(ren)'s welfare.

Team Manager, Linkworkers and parents:

  • To make full use of identified external resources in order to assist directly and indirectly in the process of change.
  • Promote change in the 'system' by involving social support systems and family members in order to effect and support change in the parent's capacity to meet the child(ren)'s needs.

Evaluation Stage

Team Manager, Linkworkers and parents:

  • Determine whether the specific goals have been achieved, - identifying behaviours that have been helpful in achieving these, and acknowledging related skills development.
  • Evaluate the plan of action and look to the unachieved goals to determine whether there might be another way to accomplish them.

Team Manager and Linkworkers:

  • Identify whether the 'change' achieved by parent(s) has been sustained following the reduction of supervision and prompting by staff members.
  • Identify unmet needs of the child(ren).
  • Identify any 'risk' to the child(ren).
  • Monitor and feedback the parent's progress, reinforcing gains and maintaining focus on goal achievement.
  • Analyse and evaluate information gathered to determine risk of harm, abuse or failure to protect.
  • Monitor and feedback continuing or arising problems/concerns/difficulties, and revisit, as necessary the 'Information Gathering' and 'Assessment' Stages.

And consequently identify the level of long term support required, and the need for further services in order for the parent(s) to maintain an adequate standard of care for the child(ren) in the community,

Or

Identify that the prognosis for change is so poor that there are no further feasible methods of addressing concerns within a realistic timeframe for the child(ren).

Termination stage

Team Managers:

  • Establish clear and direct connections between the parent's actions/behaviours and the degree of success of the intervention.
  • Identify and establish systems and resources to maintain the required levels of practice and progress.
  • Encourage independence.
  • Ensure the final report/recommendations take into account the child(rens) needs and parent's needs in relation to social support systems, family and community support, irrespective of the outcome of the parenting assessment.
  • Wherever possible, Dudley Lodge will endeavour to prepare the children and the parent(s) in the event of separation.