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Contents

1. Introduction
2. Planning
3. Purpose and Aims of Assessment
4. Working Agreement
5. Areas to be Covered
6. Practicalities in Undertaking the Assessment
7. Dealing with Difficulties
8. Conclusion

1. Introduction

There are a range of circumstances where social workers may undertake pre-birth assessments as outlined below:-

• Other children have been removed from the care of a parent
• Other children in the household are subject to Child Protection Plan
• Where parent is a risk to children (See Risks Posed by Adults with Convictions Against Children
• Where a previous child has died
• The unborn child is viewed as potentially vulnerable as a result of parental lifestyle e.g. Serious substance misuse, domestic violence, non-compliance with anti-natal care.
• Previous concerns about Fabricated or Induced Illness

2. Planning

The Team Manager will call a meeting as soon as possible after the pregnancy is confirmed to plan the assessment. The assessment will be used to inform any subsequent child protection conference, which should take place approximately 6-8 weeks before the birth of the child.

A planning meeting would normally include:  Midwife, Health Visitor, GP and any other agency involved with the parents e.g. Addiction Unit, Mental Health Service.

It needs to be established who will undertake the assessment - it is good practice for assessments to be co-worked e.g. by Social Worker and Advanced Practitioners.

In some circumstances an outside agency may become involved to co-work the assessment e.g. Broomhill Family Centre, Leeds Drug Project.

It needs to be established who will provide supervision of the assessment work and how this will be organised and reviewed.

Other relevant agencies will contribute to the assessment e.g. Midwife. The arrangements for sharing information are detailed in Information Sharing Protocol for partner agencies (See West Yorkshire Consortium Procedures Manual)

Where there are complex or specific issues consideration may be given to seeking a specialist consultation with expertise around sex offenders, or a psychological/psychiatric assessment.

The assessment should take place as soon as possible to enable decisions to be made in good time.

It is important that workers undertaking the assessment have a clear understanding of the background history.  One of the early tasks should be to complete a chronology detailing the history.

Information can be gathered from a variety of sources including:-

• Children's and adult social care files and electronic records, including those of other local authorities
• Interagency discussions e.g. Police, Health, Education

It may be useful to meet with previous Social Workers.

Where English is not the first language or there are literacy issues, this should be taken into account at the planning stage. Workers should ensure that written information is provided in a format that can be understood e.g. obtaining a foreign language translation, using an advocate or an interpreter. Time needs to be set aside to make sure that written information is understood.

An interpreter may be required for the assessment sessions themselves.

Advice on interpreting and translating for non-English speaking families can be obtained through the council's Interpretation and Translation Service, Tel: 0113 2149010.

Workers need to be aware of any risks to their own safety during the assessment and these may need to be addressed in supervision.  

3. Purpose and Aims of Assessment

The purpose and aims of the assessment will be as follows:-

• To undertake a through assessment of individual and family functioning and home circumstances
• To identify strengths and positives within the family
• To identify previous and current concerns and establish parental understanding and perception of these
• To identify support networks
• To identify potential for change and ability to maintain changes
• To identify risk to expected baby and any other children in the family
• To inform future planning - e.g. Initial Child Protection Conference, Family Support meeting, Legal action

4. Working Agreement

It is good practice to draw up a working agreement between Children's Social Care and the parents.

The agreement should outline the reason for the assessment, its purpose and aims, and how the assessment will be carried out:-

• dates, times, venues of sessions and who will attend each session
• areas to be covered in the assessment
• how the assessment will be shared and who with
• expectations of those participating in the assessment

Parents should be seen individually and as a couple.

Extended family members may need to be contacted.

Assessment sessions will normally take place at the family home and local  area office. One of the sessions in the family home should assess the home environment and preparations made for the baby's arrival.

The main focus of the meeting to share the working agreement is to clarify expectations, identify tasks and clarify boundaries. 

Any anxieties there might be around the assessment can be dealt with and openness encouraged.

It should be clearly stated that part of the process will be to liaise with other agencies.

5. Areas to be Covered

Assessments should be follow the guidelines set out in the Framework for Assessing Children in Needs and their Families DOH 2000 (See Universal Assessment Guidance).  While this document does not make specific reference to pre-birth assessments the 3 inter-related domains of parenting capacity, child's developmental needs (parents understanding and expectations) and family and environmental factors (Framework for Assessment in Need 2 2:1) should be addresses in the assessment and subsequent report.

In addition the following areas should also be addressed:-

• Individual history of parent(s) (including any offending history)
• Previous and current relationships
• Present and previous concerns
• Parent's response to the concerns
• Practical abilities
• Preparations for baby's arrival
• Identification of risk and safeguards
• See Children of Alcohol Misusing Parents (Safeguarding Children Board Procedures) where alcohol misuse is an issue
• See Children of Drug Misusing Parents(Safeguarding Children Board Procedures) where drug misuse is an issue

6. Practicalities in Undertaking the Assessment

It is important to recognise that this is a joint task and we would recommend that workers alternate responsibility for leading and recording the sessions.  Levels of experience and expertise need to be taken into account when planning who will lead a session.  The sessions should be recorded as fully as possible and typed as soon as possible following the session.

(Rough notes should be retained for future reference e.g. Court)

Both co-workers need to meet with the supervisor jointly to discuss progress with the assessment and any developments or difficulties.

It is important to review the progress of the assessment mid-way through.

Although, ideally, timescales should be kept to, if one worker is unavailable then judgement is needed regarding whether sessions should go ahead or be cancelled.

Time needs to be set aside at the end of the assessment for writing the report.

7. Dealing with Difficulties

Any difficulties which arise during the course of the assessment should be discussed as soon as possible with your supervisor e.g.:

• non-co-operation
• frequent missed appointments
• threats, aggressive behaviour towards workers
• evidence of lack of honesty
• failure to attend medical appointments
• failure to engage in assessment process (compliance v co-operation)
• violence between parents
• relationship breakdown
• premature birth/serious illness/complication of pregnancy

8. Conclusion

The assessment report needs to be completed as soon as possible following the ending of the assessment so it can be shared with parents and management and any further action planned.

It is recommended that the report is written following the format of the Framework for Assessment .e.  covering the domains and dimensions under the headings of Family and Environmental Factors and Parenting Capacity.

The assessment report should make a clear recommendation about identified risk to the expected baby, any protective factors and any service required, including further assessments.

If a decision is taken to hold an Initial Child Protection Conference, the report (or the conclusion) may be submitted to the conference.

If a decision is taken not to hold a conference then the Team Manager should convene a meeting to discuss the outcome of the assessment and any future planning.

Where the identified risk is deemed to be high, legal advice should be sought.  If removal at birth is planned the Team Manager should convene a planning meeting with appropriate hospital staff and police, to plan management of the birth and subsequent removal. 

Advice and ongoing consultation when undertaking pre-birth assessments is available from Advanced Practitioner in your area.

End