EXPERT SERVICE:
Independent Social Work Assessments
Parenting Assessments
We undertake parenting assessments of parents whose child/ren are subject child protection plans; Pre Proceedings (PLO); private and public law proceedings. We complete such assessments where clients or commissioning local authorities require the services of an independent expert. Our assessments are not limited to geographical confines of the UK. We have culturally diverse experts who are prepared to travel abroad especially to their native countries or those countries where they understand the culture and language to undertake assessments.
Pre-birth Assessments
We assist Local Authorities in completing Pre-Birth assessment where there is evidence to indicate the unborn child may be at risk of significant harm. The assessment will highlight the child’s needs, risks the child may be exposed to and determine the parents’ capacity to safely care for the child at birth. The assessment will also assist the Local Authority in determining the level of risk the unborn child is exposed and what support if any is required to mitigate the risk
Viability Assessments
Extended family members and friends play a crucial role in ensuring children remain cared for within their family or by those they already have an established relationship with. We undertake and assess the suitability of a relative(s) or family friends within and outside the UK as alternative carer/s for a child/ren subject to PLO and public law proceedings.
SGO Assessment
We undertake Special Guardianship Assessments of relative(s) or family friends, within and outside the UK to determine their suitability as a child/ren special guardians on a long-term basis giving children chances of growing within their birth family where their linguistic and cultural needs will be promoted and met. This assessment enables the court to make informed decision when deciding whether or not to grant a Special Guardian Order to an SGO applicant. The granting of an SGO by the court secures the long term arrangements for a child away from their parents’ care and gives the special guardian parental responsibility for the child.
Connected Persons Assessments
We undertake Kinship Assessments of family friends or connected persons to determine their suitability as short or long-term carers for a child/ren. Such assessment enables the family friend or connected person with whom the child lives with or has a close relationship with to be granted parental responsibility.
PAR Assessments
We undertake Prospective Adopter’s Report (PAR) to assess the suitability of prospective adopters and any support they may need to in order to provide a nurturing, warm, secure and stable home to a looked after child/ren.
Risk Assessments
Our professionally qualified ISWs and psychologists uses a range of specialist tools to undertake a risk assessments of parents. This includes the assessment of parents/carers where there are concerns about mental health or disability, substance misuse and domestic abuse and those who pose a risk of sexual abuse to children and young people.
PAMS Assessments
We undertake PAMS assessments where there are safeguarding concerns in a respect of the parenting capacity of a parent with Learning Disability. This is a specialist assessment and therefore only a selection of our trained ISWs45n in using the PAMS toolkit by Sue McGaw will be considered for this assessment.
Sibling Assessments
Our trained ISWs or psychologists undertake Siblings Assessments based on direct observations of sibling relationships and interactions whilst taking into consideration their lived experiences, quality of attachment and the impact of them continuing to live together or being separated. This comprehensive piece of work involves a series of observations and consultation with all involved in the children lives. For children and young who share similar histories, maintaining a close relationship with each other is very important and therefore it’s crucial that an assessment is undertaken prior to deciding whether or not to separate them.
International Assessments
We have a pool of Social Workers from different ethnic background to undertake International Assessments in their native countries or where they have strong connections and understand the cultural norms, values and beliefs that will shape the child’s life and impact on the parenting and care they will receive. These are important assessment in modern society given most children’s support network may live abroad.
Age Assessments
We support Local Authorities in undertaking holistic assessment to establish the chronological age of an asylum claimant in order to determine whether an individual is a child or not.
Section 7 and 37 reports
In Private Law Cases We undertake section 7 & 37 reports where there are issues with contact and residence of the child or belief the child may be at risk of harm.
Immigration Assessments
We undertake Immigration Assessments highlighting and making recommendations on what is in the child’s best interest in context of where they live with.