Assessment Story Board
Author: Judy Kent [email protected]
Date: October 2016
To access the full suite of Storyboards go to
www.yor-ok.org.uk//workforce/storyboards.htm
Assessment Story Board
This story board describes York’s journey towards achieving proportionate, accurate, timely and
genuinely multi-agency assessments in all cases where a referral to children’s social care has been
deemed to require assessment.
Background
Following the publication of Working Together (WT) 2013 City of York Council introduced new
assessment arrangements described as the Single Assessment. Work had taken place in
anticipation of the changes set out in WT 2013 and the first iteration of the Single Assessment was
introduced soon after publication of WT. There have been a number of revisions of the process
and documentation since this time. The current version of the report format was finalised in the
summer of 2015 and is now built into Mosaic, the new client record system.
Description and rationale of Single Assessment Format and Process
The report format for the York Single Assessment has been kept relatively simple in order that it
can be adapted for use in a wide range of situations and it’s design is underpinned by the
Assessment Framework 2000. The report format and process are designed to ensure that
assessments are:
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
Child Centred – there is a specific section where the social worker is asked to report on the
child’s world. In addition to this it is expected that the social worker will describe the
reasons for the assessment in terms of the child’s needs

Analytical and Outcome focussed – there is a specific planning section where social
workers are asked to set out what they intend to assess and how. This facilitates an
analytical approach and a focus on outcomes right from the outset of the assessment. The
end section of the assessment takes the form of a five column, outcome focussed,
planning/intervention matrix.

Proportionate to the level of need or concern – Management oversight of the assessment,
particularly at the planning stage is intended to ensure that level of risk and/or need are
properly evaluated and that plans for further assessment and intervention are
proportionate to this.

Multiagency in nature – Key professionals from partner agencies (currently health visitors,
school nurses, midwives and schools) are invited to make direct written entries into the
assessment. This both ensures accuracy of information and strengthens partnership
working. It also facilitates greater multi-agency ownership of assessment, intervention and
outcomes. This practice development is described in more detail below.

Timely – The aim is to complete assessments within 45 working days. Those going to child
protection conference are often completed more quickly. Interventions to safeguard do
not wait for completion of assessment (eg emergency legal interventions, decisions to
accommodate). Where needed specific arrangements are in place to provide an ‘edge of
care’ service from the Child in Need Service to provide support along side the assessing
social worker.

Current and up to date – In cases where children are subject to child protection plan, the
single assessment is updated ahead of each review conference. This updated assessment
forms the social work report (and midwife, school nurse, health visitor and school report)
to the conference. This ensures that assessments for children at risk of significant harm are
always kept up to date. Other mechanisms facilitate this updating for looked after
children.

Efficient - In child protection cases the assessment report forms a report to Initial Child
Protection Conference. Where other agencies have made a direct written contribution to
the assessment, they do not to produce a separate report to conference. This reduces
repetition of work and also reduces the number of different reports that professionals and
family members have to read at child protection conferences.
Developing and Supporting Assessment Practice in York
Social workers in York historically tended to adopt an eclectic, or even individualistic approach
towards assessment. There was not a well established culture of using tools to gather evidence or
to help inform assessments. The Authority has in the past relied on the very significant experience
base of it’s workforce to deliver high quality assessments. Recent years have seen the necessity for
very significant reshaping of services, alongside this the Authority has seen a shift towards a less
experienced workforce.
In response to the challenge described above there has been a recent focus and prioritisation
around the quality of assessment practice. This focus has support at a senior level in the Authority,
and amongst senior management in partner agencies. The Principal Social Worker, supported by
the Advanced Social Work Practitioner within the Referral and Assessment Service, leads on
developing front line practice and improving quality in assessment work.
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Over the past two years the authority have commissioned the services of a highly experienced
consultant child psychologist, Dr David Lucey, to provide consultation to social workers
undertaking assessments in child protection cases.
Innovations in Practice
Over the past 12 months the Authority have participated in two key pilot projects in association
with the NSPCC. These are:
1. A new model for pre-birth assessment
2. Implementation of the recently evaluated and updated graded care profile (GCP2)
Assessing parental capacity to change forms a key cornerstone of the Authority’s strategy to
improving the quality of assessment and improving outcomes for children. We have trained social
workers in a specific model for this1, with initial support from Research in Practice. Some of the
benefits of this model and linkages with other initiatives are:

The pre-birth assessment model also draws heavily on the model for Assessing Parental
Capacity to Change, and is intended to facilitate early permanence planning and improved
outcomes for newborn children at risk of significant harm.

Social workers in York are also being trained and supported in using the Assessment of
Parental Capacity to Change in other (non pre-birth) child protection cases where there is
uncertainty about capacity to change, including in cases going into the newly formed York
Family Drug and Alcohol Court. The aim of this project is to reduce drift and delay, and
improving outcomes in the planning for children subject to child protection plans.

The Authority’s involvement in the Graded Care Profile contributes to the Authority’s
response to the safeguarding Board’s focus on neglect, and is a key tool that can be used
within Assessments of Parental Capacity to Change.
Through the particular projects described above the Authority is incrementally introducing
systematic approaches underpinned by theoretical models to assessment, and starting to embed a
culture of using tools to support assessment.
Towards a Theoretical Model of Practice
Whilst there is currently no overarching theoretical model for practice in the Authority, note has
been taken of the recent OFSTED finding that:
1
Harnett, P.H. (2007) ‘A procedure for assessing parents' capacity for change in child protection cases.’ Children and
Youth Services Review 29, 9, 1179–1188.
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“... in most instances, using theoretical models of practice had improved the quality of
assessments. ...... Inspectors found that using a model was more important than which model was
used.”2
The options around introducing a specific theoretical model of practice are currently being actively
explored.
Multi-agency Assessment Practice
The Assessment Framework 2000 as initially conceptualised is a multi-agency framework for
assessment, but the Authority recognise that fully realising this aim in practice is a challenge. The
Authority is aware that:
“Effective communication and partnership working between agencies to promote good
assessment and support children and families were vital ingredients in successful local
authorities.”3
Whilst there are well established working partnerships with key local agencies at all levels within
York, it has been recognised that joint work between professionals when completing children’s
assessments could be strengthened.
Recent Practice
Until recently social work assessment practice had been to seek information and views from other
professionals via face to face conversation, phone conversation or in meetings such as strategy
meetings (where formal written reports from participants are not provided). The social worker will
then incorporate the views and information provided into relevant parts of the assessment report.
That information will obviously inform and contribute to the overall social work assessment. The
shortcomings in this approach include the potential for the information provided in this way to not
be factually accurate or complete, or for opinions not to be properly considered. There is also the
difficulty that a professional providing information and professional opinion may not feel that they
have the opportunity to fully reflect on their agency’s information and knowledge of a child, or to
seek professional consultation within their own agency prior to providing that information or
offering an opinion. Once information has been given to the social worker there is also the
2
“The quality of assessment for children in need of help” OFSTED August 2015 www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/Thequality-of-assessment-for-children-in –need-of-help
3
“The quality of assessment for children in need of help” OFSTED August 2015 www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/Thequality-of-assessment-for-children-in –need-of-help
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difficulty that it may not be fully or accurately recorded by the assessing social worker. Reflecting
these potential difficulties senior managers in other agencies in York have been concerned that
their agency’s information and views are not always fully reflected in children’s assessments.
New Practice – Direct Contributions to Assessments
In seeking to address this issue the Authority has spent some months preparing for and
incrementally introducing a mechanism through which direct written contributions to assessments
can be provided. Initially this process entails relatively complex administrative processes and the
completion of a direct contribution form sent out to relevant professionals. Once Mosaic, the new
electronic client records system has been implemented there will be an opportunity to remove the
administrative processes and provide direct portal access to other professionals. Developing portal
access will be a key element of phase 3 of the Mosaic project running from the end of June 2016
to Dec 2016.
Information provided is attributed to the professional providing it and incorporated unedited into
the assessment report. The overall social work assessment remains the responsibility of the
assessing social worker.
Progress to date
It is intended that direct contributions from other professionals will improve the accuracy of
information within assessments, will contribute to a greater sense of multi-agency ‘ownership’ of
assessments, contribute to improved multi-agency partnership working and improved plans and
outcomes for children.
As the assessment report forms the report to child protection conference in child protection cases
and is the basis for review and planning meetings in child in need cases, a further benefit in this
approach will be in reducing the number of different reports and reading requirements for
professionals, but crucially for family members, ahead of these key meetings.
As this is such a fundamental shift from current practice, and is administratively complex, it was
decided that this process would be implemented incrementally and evaluated at each stage. The
first stage was with Midwives, Health Visitors and School Nurses only. These are the key universal
health care professionals who work most closely with children’s social care, and with whom the
strongest working relationships on the ground already exist. Evaluation of this phase of
implementation identified challenges, successes and learning points, but overall the outcomes
were extremely positive.
The second phase of implementation started at the beginning of November 2015 and included all
primary and secondary schools in York.
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Next Steps
Building on the existing initiatives already underway in York a 3 month assessment protect started
in January 2016. This project is the next step in York’s improvement journey, building on what has
been achieved to date and scoping theoretical models/tools that will continue to drive
improvement in assessments, ensuring there is a focus on quality and consistency across all
assessment practice in York. York CSC are keen to explore options for an over-arching
model/theoretical framework that could “fit” York practice and support development of a shared
language around assessments as well as driving more consistent, high quality practice.
Gwynne Rayns was seconded in a consultancy role, from the NSPCC where she is a Development
Manager to work alongside Tony Holmes, Principle Social Worker to undertake this project. The
recommendations of this project are that the Authority adopt the Theoretical Integrated
Framework4 and that social workers be trained and supported in adopting a common set of
analytical assessment and decision making tools and a common set of core skills. These
recommendations now for the basis of a recent Innovation bid and the outcome of this bid and
next steps are currently awaited.
Other tasks will include:

Finish roll out of Parental Capacity to Change Training

Action Learning Workshops to embed changing Practice, pre-birth, parental capacity to
change

Incorporating the Parental Capacity to Change Assessment into the local response to the
Family Drug and Alcohol Court initiative

Development of local protocol for assessment including timelines for child protection cases

Evaluation of above
4
Dawe, S. and Harnett, P. (2013) ‘Working with parents with substance misuse problems: A Parents Under Pressure
perspective’, in F. Arney and D. Scott (eds), Working with Vulnerable Families: A Partnership Approach, Port
Melbourne, Australia, Cambridge University Press.
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