Transcript Document
Family Assessment: How do we improve outcomes for children and their families? Scotland’s Child and Family Assessment Centre - SCAFAC Evidence based family assessments that help to protect children and improve their lives. • Parenting capacity assessments • Parenting / risk assessments • Assessments of attachments and relationships • Sibling assessments • Assessments of quality of contact • Kinship care assessments • Individualised assessments • Consultancy, mentoring and training • Overall we aim to enable children to achieve better long term outcomes in their education, health and wellbeing. • • • • Active role in decision making Independent evidence and insight Undertaken by experienced professionals Uses current assessment tools, techniques and academic research • Tailored to specific requirements • Integrates psychological and Social Work approaches • Relevant legislative and social policy requirements Core principles • Based on evidence • Based on strengths – where we identify abilities and build on them • Child centred – where the recommendations are in the best interests of the child • Transparent, rigorous and fair Models • Themes linked to the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need (Department of Health 2000) • Themes linked to Reder and Lucy’s model of parenting Assessment (Reder and Lucy 1995) • Significant areas for consideration identified using frameworks and research tools e.g. Quinton and Rutter 1988, Glaser 1993 and Pugh and De’ath 1985. • Complex Assessment Framework (Bentovim, Cox, Bingley Miller and Pizzey 2009) used to inform rehabilitation. Hard to reach families, or hard to reach services? Realist Evaluation: What works, for whom, under which circumstances? • Formative evaluation: information is fed back into service planning throughout the intervention • Systematic tracking progress, evaluating efficacy of intervention • Quantitative as well as qualitative outcomes • Measurement of user’s target problem over time, using appropriate outcome measures (Realist Evaluation in Practice, Dr MAF Kazi, SAGE publications, ISBN 07619-6996-9) Involving users in measuring outcomes • Self reports, and soft indicators • Standardised questionnaires (DoH framework etc) • Hard data, outputs (attendance at- success rate) • My World triangle (the Moray Council) • Involving users in developing outcome measures • CASI – Viewpoint (www.vptorg.co.uk) What do others say? • “It was sometimes hard to talk about what it was like when I lived with my Mum, but the games we used made this easier to do.” Child • “It was good to see myself on the video, I didn’t know there were so many positive things we did together.” Parent • “The games we played, like circle time, helped us to tell each other how we were feeling.” Child • “The assessment was child centred throughout and took account of the children’s routines.” Social Worker • “I have learned so much about myself, I have really been able to think about my own childhood.” Parent Outcomes • Short term outcomes; empowerment, giving a voice and control in relation to future family living and care. • Medium term outcomes; improved living situation, identifying and accessing effective, appropriate supports e.g. therapeutic interventions. • Long term outcomes; settled family life, improved emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. Contact Details Scotland’s Child and Family Assessment Centre c/o Unit 2 40 Lomond Crescent Cornton Stirling FK9 5DN Tel – 01786 461334 Email – [email protected]