Understanding children's needs and making good assessments
What's Important To Us
Completing a robust assessment requires us to have a good understanding of the unique needs of the child we are working with. We will be able to gather a lot of information directly from the child, their caregiver and others close to the child (i.e. teacher, church minister). However, it is important that we also have a good overall knowledge about child development, parenting capacity and the impact of cumulative harm on children. Having this knowledge gives us the foundation upon which we can measure the information we have gathered directly. For example, if a child is two years old and still not walking, our knowledge and understanding about child development will tell us that this is outside the usual range and needs specialist assessment.
This key information outlines how we can better understand children's needs, and how we might use some of our tools to help us gather information for assessments.
Understanding children's needs
Being a good practitioner is not just about being personable, empathetic and hardworking; you also need to have a body of knowledge behind you which informs your practice. There are three aspects that you need to be aware of when considering the needs of a child:
- Needs change over time: As children grow and develop, their physical and emotional needs change (Hepworth, Rooney, Dewberry Rooney, Strom-Gottfried & Larsen, 2010). Strengthening our understanding of child development will help us identify whether or not the specific needs of the child are being met. It is also worth remembering that a particular strategy or activity that was introduced to the child two years ago may no longer be appropriate or practical. Talk to the child and their caregiver on a regular basis to determine whether or not the child’s need is being met ‘now.’ It is also important that we understand and are alert to the signs of trauma in children at each developmental stage. These signs may be subtle, delayed and misinterpreted (e.g. as ‘naughty’ behaviour). The impact of trauma in a previously settled and compliant child can suddenly present itself as the child grows and experiences new challenges. See Key Information: Age and developmental stages for more information on child development.
- Cumulative harm: A single or isolated incident of abuse or neglect may not appear to have a lasting effect on a child, but a number of abusive or neglectful incidents over a period of time can have a significant negative impact on the child’s ability to build resilience and on their long-term psychological wellbeing. It is important that every time we receive a report of concern about a child that we look back to see if they have had previous involvement with us. An incident that may seem relatively harmless on its own may seem less so once we have taken the child’s history into account. Read Cumulative harm for more information about its impact on children and the practice implications for social workers.
- Parental functioning: Most parents assume the parenting role without any training, qualification or skill base. That being said, most parents are keen to learn and read books, talk to experienced parents, attend parental education classes and groups and receive one-on-one support (i.e. Plunket). However, in any society there is always a small group of parents who tend to either undervalue the role of parenting, avoid or ignore advice and education that might strengthen their parenting, or lack the cognitive or intellectual ability to understand and respond to their child’s needs. Mental or physical illness and the impact of substance abuse and addiction can also diminish a parent’s capacity to respond appropriately to the needs of their child. We must always keep the child’s needs at the forefront of our work with families and seriously consider whether or not the parent has the ability, capacity and willingness to safely parent their child. If the child is left in the care of a parent who has diminished capacity to care, this child is likely to experience physical, emotional or developmental neglect that could have serious long-term consequences for the child.
Undertaking good assessments
To ensure assessments are robust and comprehensive, we need to gather all relevant information to help inform our next steps.
Safety Assessment: The first assessment we do with families after we have received a notification is the safety assessment. This assessment is not just a ‘safety check’ – it is a tool designed to support social workers to consider the factors that may indicate the possibility of danger or harm for a child, and assists in providing a rationale for what action will next be taken. We need to be sure that we go much further than simply ‘sighting’ the child, and that we genuinely engage with the child and their whānau to gain the information we need to make a robust assessment of safety. The safety assessment tool guidelines are a resource to help social workers understand both the intent and the steps in the process.
Assessment framework: The assessment framework is a useful tool to help you gather information about the child’s needs, parenting capacity, whānau, and environmental factors. The information you gather should have depth and context, and go beyond a superficial enquiry. The results can be used to enrich the Child and Family Consult, and provide a thorough foundation for good decision-making and timely and effective interventions.
Assessing parenting capacity: Through your involvement with a family, you may form a professional opinion based on clear evidence that a parent lacks the capacity to understand or respond to the needs of their child, or you may be somewhat uncertain about parental capacity. In these cases, an assessment of parenting capacity may be necessary to identify whether or not the parent has the optimal skills to be a safe parent. It is equally important that the assessment is undertaken quickly and that the safety and wellbeing of the children is assured whilst the assessment is underway. Remember that having their parental capacity questioned and then assessed is bound to be an anxious time for parents, and we need to be mindful of this by treating parents with both sensitivity and honesty.
