Putting Analysis into Assessment These Power Point presentations accompany the second edition of Putting Analysis into Assessment. They can be used in team-development or training courses and have all been tested in practice receiving positive feedback.
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Putting Analysis into Assessment These Power Point presentations accompany the second edition of Putting Analysis into Assessment. They can be used in.
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Putting Analysis into Assessment
These Power Point presentations accompany the second edition of Putting Analysis into Assessment. They can be used in team-development or training courses and have all been tested in practice receiving positive feedback.
Aims
To provide participants with tools to increase their skills and confidence in analysis and judgement within assessment practice
• Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families 2000
• Adoption and Children Act 2002• Children Act 2004• Every Child Matters 2004• Children and Young Persons Act 2008• Common Assessment Framework [2006–8] • Working Together [updated 2010]• Integrated Children’s system 2009• New Govt 2010• Munro Review 2011
• It is clear from the studies we reviewed that the analysis of information has continued to be problematic in practice so attention needs to be focused on strengthening this crucial aspect of the assessment process’. [Turney et al 2011]
• The failure or inability to analyse, in particular, has been noted time and again in Inquiry Reports, Inspection Reports and Serious Case Reviews yet despite the repeated identification of this difficulty, and various new procedural requirements, the problem remains. [RIP-analysis and critical thinking 2010]
• Evidence that actuarial tools demonstrate a higher level of accuracy than professional judgements alone and can play a part in overall case management
• Provide opportunity for consistency across agency and workers
• Help in developing clear standards• Formal methods don’t offer certainty. SWs should be
cautious about the level of accuracy they can hope to achieve.
• Reflexivity – A circular process of thought and action, with our thoughts and beliefs interacting with and affecting service users and their responses and experiences in turn affecting our thoughts and belief systems
• Cultural review reveals some of the unconscious processes and hidden influences on our ability to engage with families. By bringing assumptions and underlying influences on our thinking into awareness we can see them more clearly and take compensatory action
• The cornerstone of analysis in assessment might be seen as the process of building hypotheses for understanding a family situation and developing these until they include a plan for a way forward [Holland]
• Human tendency to be verificationists • Need to do more than be neutral • Look for data that might disprove • Look for info that will explain and test ways of
understanding and helping [including antecedents]
• Different models within research for developing hypotheses – need to both draw from data and test data against original concerns [retroductive]
• Service-user explanations – listen and take seriously • Practitioners’ explanations, practice wisdom• Other professionals – specialist perspective– inter-agency working• Observations and direct work with children• Evidence-based practice, wide reading of research• Theory, having and using ideas
• Child protection services and managers need to establish the systems, ethos and context in which constant testing and revision of hypotheses and assumptions can underpin practice, as well as creating a working environment where professionals are actively encouraged to question their judgements
and to invite alternative opinion – one in which it is acceptable and safe to simply change their mind
• ‘Playing the devil’s advocate’• ‘A fresh pair of eyes’ – make use of supervision to
• CP involves working in unstable, distressing and sometimes personally threatening situations
• Evasiveness, concealment or outright dishonesty by some of the protagonists can be anticipated, if not assumed
• Repeated inquiry reports show the extraordinary lengths to which some abusive parents can go in their efforts to deceive practitioners
• Laming proposed that the concepts of ‘healthy scepticism’ and ‘respectful uncertainty’ should form the basis of relationships between social worker and families in such cases
• Openness and concentration• Aware of own assumptions and prejudices• Aware of the observer effect• Awareness of the environment• Suspending judgement• A structure or model for observation• Able to use and evaluate theories to analyse• Recording observations accurately • Using observations as part of assessments• Aware that collective experience will be revealed[Baldwin 1994]
• Making notes• Highlighting themes [coding]• Analyse info from various sources• Key words• Be conscious of value placed on sources of hypothesis • Constantly check out views with others • Supervision critical • Consultations with other agencies• Avoid group think • Share with those being assessed
Part 111 lays out the duty on L As to provide services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need. A child is in need if:
A] he is unlikely to achieve or maintain or to have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision for him of services by a local authority or
B] his health or development is likely to be significantly impaired or further impaired without the provision for him of such services or
• Helps –children –parents –workers to understand what must be done and what needs to change in order to meet needs
• Helps encourage parental empathy • Helps to determine and achieve specific outcomes for children• Promotes a wider focus than only considering harm• Provides transparency• Fairness of access• Helps in placement planning • Useful in service planning as well as individual work
Evidence so far suggests that in order to develop resilience we need: multifaceted programmes that consider factors across child, family and community arenas; programmes that address risks, assets and resilience processes; and targets that include the development of secure relationships and wider supportive relationships, self-esteem and mastery, and provision of positive nursery and school or community experiences.
Signs of safety approach • Background and origins• Underpinning philosophy • Practice principles for partnership • Six practice elements• Interactive exercise
• Learn what the recipient wants• Always search for detail• Focus on creating small change• Don’t confuse case details with judgements• Offer choices• Treat the interview as a forum for change
• Understand the position of each family member• Find exceptions to the maltreatment• Discover family strengths and resources• Focus on goals• Scale safety and progress• Assess willingness, confidence and capacity
• Lack of awareness that behaviour was abusive• Shame, embarrassment and self-blame• Stigma, loss of credibility, friends finding out• Fear of losing control and people taking over• Getting someone into trouble/splitting family up• Loyalty for or feeling sorry for the abuser• Access to someone to tell, not knowing where to go for help
What children want from professionalsC4E0 2010, Children’s Rights Director (for Munro) 2011
• Professionals to keep in touch
• Help with sorting out problems and ‘getting on with the important things’
• Get C&YP involved in activities
• The following qualities: caring, understanding, knowledgeable, hard working, trustworthy and available, accessible culturally competent, positive and fun
• Maintain neutrality, but not indifference• Manage one’s personal responses to distressing material• See the child as the expert• Convey genuine empathic concern congruent to situation• Use open-ended and unbiased approaches/allow free recall• If adult does not ask, it is unlikely the child will tell• Record the exchange in detail, content and duration• Clarify ambiguous information
• ‘Elizabeth presents as whimsical and materialistic and may not be impressed by the current accommodation ... It is clear that Elizabeth has changed her mind on a number of occasions …’
• ‘Paul has remained consistent in his expressed wish to have Mr Taylor return home … Paul presents as a very sensible child who I feel would not hesitate to voice any feelings of unease …’
• Be critical and thoughtful in our application. Powerful arguments can be made using flawed or overly narrow evidence base
• Reports referred to attachment, but only partial aspects of child’s attachment behaviour were observed, and often in emotionally charged and ‘artificial’ situations such as contact visits
• Consult children about assessment methods and work with their preferences
• Focus on what child can do and not what they can’t• Be holistic in issues explored and portrayed• Focus on ‘meanings’ for the child• Acknowledge limitations of knowledge and understanding
• ‘I always feel that they're not finished. Core assessments are finished when it’s the case conference tomorrow and initial assessments are finished when you’ve contacted the GP four times, they’ve never replied and you have to move on to another one’ [Social worker in Holland 2004]
• Forms not neutral• Considering the audience• Clarity about facts and opinion• Views of service users• Service user access – how might this read to young person
accessing records later?• Language use – avoid value laden language/use plain language• Ordering of points – prioritisation• Is the trail from identification of needs through to
recommendations absolutely clear?• Not just what but why