HOPE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES PROGRAMME: Child Protection Decision Making using the Safeguarding Children Assessment and Analysis Framework (SAAF) Stephen Pizzey

Seven Stages in Assessment, Analysis and Planning Intervention Stage 1 Identification of harm and initial safeguarding Consider the referral and aims of the assessment Stage 2 Gather assessment information on the child’s developmental needs, parenting capacity, and family and environmental factors Collect information from available sources using an appropriate range of methods and approaches Create a chronology of salient information Stage 3 Establish the nature and level of impairment of the child’s health and development Organise information using the Assessment Framework and identify strengths and difficulties in all dimensions

Seven Stages in Assessment, Analysis and Planning Intervention Stage 4 Analyse the patterns of harm and protection Consider the chronology of salient information Processes and impact Stage 5 Child Protection Decision Making and Care Planning: The Safeguarding Analysis Profile of harm and impairment of development Predict the likely outlook for the child: the risks of re- abuse or likelihood of future harm (the systemic analysis) Determine the prospects for successful intervention Summary of safeguarding analysis Stage 6 Develop a plan of intervention Stage 7 Identify outcomes and measures for intervention

CHILD’S DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS FAMILY & ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Assessment Framework A map of relevant data to be collected Health Basic Care Education Ensuring Safety Emotional & Behavioural Development Emotional Warmth PARENTING CAPACITY CHILD’S DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS CHILD Safeguarding & promoting welfare Identity Stimulation Family & Social Relationships Guidance & Boundaries Social Presentation Stability Self-Care Skills Assessment Framework triangle is a map for gathering and ordering data/info How you gather information is not prescribed by the Assessment Framework We (C&FT) offer tools that help the gathering and assessment process Also offer model for analysis and planning – will discuss later The triangle: The Child’s Developmental Needs Domain of the Assessment Framework triangle maps Strengths and Impairment or Harm to child’s health and development The Parenting Capacity Domain is concerned with Attributability of harmful actions Where there is no observable or measurable impairment, the Parenting Capacity and Family and Environmental Factors Domains are relevant to the Likelihood of Impairment or Future Harm .  Note that the nature of any impairments is also relevant to attributability e.g. Autism is genetic, Cerebral Palsy is congenital in most instances. 6. The work of Bentovim at al (2009) was geared to extension of the Assessment Framework triangle into the child protection context What you will find in your Seminar Booklet on page XXXX are some of the ways of doing that – which we will look at in more detail later FAMILY & ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Community Resources Family’s Social Integration Income Employment Family History & Functioning Housing Wider Family 4

Working with the Assessment Framework The Child’s Developmental Needs Domain maps Strengths and Impairment in Development The Parenting Capacity Domain is concerned with Attributability Where there is no observable or measurable impairment, the Parenting Capacity and Family and Environmental Factors Domains are relevant to the Likelihood of Impairment Note that some impairments may not be attributable to parenting - e.g. Autism is genetic or Cerebral Palsy is congenital in most instances - but make greater demands which parents may not be able to meet.

Resources for gathering assessment information The HOME assessment of parenting and family life Family pack of questionnaires and scales Apps for communicating with children and young people Assessing Families in complex child care cases Communicating with children using the In My Shoes Interview The Attachment Style Interview in child care cases

Seven Stages in Assessment, Analysis and Planning Intervention (Child Protection) Stage 1 Identification of harm and initial safeguarding Consider the referral and aims of the assessment Stage 2 Gather assessment information on the child’s developmental needs, parenting capacity, and family and environmental factors Collect information from available sources using an appropriate range of methods and approaches Create a chronology of salient information Stage 3 Establish the nature and level of impairment of the child’s health and development Organise information using the Assessment Framework and identify strengths and difficulties in all dimensions

CHILD’S DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS FAMILY & ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Organise Information using the Assessment Framework Identify Strengths and Difficulties Health Basic Care Education Ensuring Safety Emotional & Behavioural Development Emotional Warmth PARENTING CAPACITY CHILD’S DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS CHILD Safeguarding & promoting welfare Identity Stimulation Family & Social Relationships Guidance & Boundaries Social Presentation Stability Self-Care Skills Assessment Framework triangle is a map for gathering and ordering data/info How you gather information is not prescribed by the Assessment Framework We (C&FT) offer tools that help the gathering and assessment process Also offer model for analysis and planning – will discuss later The triangle: The Child’s Developmental Needs Domain of the Assessment Framework triangle maps Strengths and Impairment or Harm to child’s health and development The Parenting Capacity Domain is concerned with Attributability of harmful actions Where there is no observable or measurable impairment, the Parenting Capacity and Family and Environmental Factors Domains are relevant to the Likelihood of Impairment or Future Harm .  Note that the nature of any impairments is also relevant to attributability e.g. Autism is genetic, Cerebral Palsy is congenital in most instances. 6. The work of Bentovim at al (2009) was geared to extension of the Assessment Framework triangle into the child protection context What you will find in your Seminar Booklet on page XXXX are some of the ways of doing that – which we will look at in more detail later FAMILY & ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Community Resources Family’s Social Integration Income Employment Family History & Functioning Housing Wider Family 8

Seven Stages in Assessment, Analysis and Planning Intervention (Child Protection) Stage 4 Analyse the patterns of harm and protection Consider the chronology of salient information Processes and impact Stage 5 Child Protection Decision Making and Care Planning: The Safeguarding Analysis Profile of harm and impairment of development Predict the likely outlook for the child: the risks of re- abuse or likelihood of future harm (the systemic analysis) Determine the prospects for successful intervention Summary of safeguarding analysis Stage 6 Develop a plan of intervention Stage 7 Identify outcomes and measures for intervention

Chronology of Salient Information When examining processes consider: the time relationships between impairments in the child’s development and life events and stressors which can raise hypotheses about processes influencing the child’s health and development

Principles Underlying Analysis - Processes Distinguish: What has brought things about from the past What keeps things going in the present both of which Can help to predict what’s likely to happen in the future if things carry on as they are

Principles Underlying Analysis - Impact The two key elements of Impact are: Severity of difficulty: the weight of a negative factor or process Magnitude of strength: the weight of a positive factor or process Thus once the processes have been analysed consider: What processes are having the biggest effect on the child’s health and development or processes that affect it? Which are the greatest protective processes?

Stage 4: Summary of Principles Underlying analysis - summary In general: the more dimensions of domains that show difficulty; the more frequently those difficulties are manifest; the longer the difficulties have existed; the less the difficulties are modifiable; then the greater the severity of the problem

Seven Stages in Assessment, Analysis and Planning Intervention Stage 4 Analyse the patterns of harm and protection Consider the chronology of salient information Processes and impact Stage 5 Child Protection Decision Making and Care Planning: The Safeguarding Analysis Profile of harm and impairment of development Predict the likely outlook for the child: the risks of re- abuse or likelihood of future harm (the systemic analysis) Determine the prospects for successful intervention Summary of safeguarding analysis Stage 6 Develop a plan of intervention Stage 7 Identify outcomes and measures for intervention

Profile of Harm and Impairment of Child’s Health and Development To analyse the profile of harm the following must be considered: Child’s Developmental Needs Severity of impairment of the child’s health and development and impact on the child Parenting capacity Severity of parenting difficulties Family and Environmental Factors Severity of individual and family difficulties Severity of environmental difficulties Parenting, protection and therapeutic help child requires

The Structure of the Profile of Harm and Impairment of Child’s Health and Development The instrument is structured in terms of the Assessment Framework domains and comprises: Areas to be considered Descriptors Scale: lower to higher level of concern which are summarised in the summary grids

Systemic Analysis of Patterns of Harm and Protection Predisposing Factors and Processes: Harmful Maintaining Factors and Processes Present: Parent’s longstanding drug addiction; Social contacts within drug sub-culture; Chaotic household routines. Precipitating Trigger Factors and Processes: Grandmother ill; one parent in house – father out buying drugs; father in prison Protective Maintaining Factors and Processes: Supportive grandmother who keeps house clean; Parents use drugs at different times so one is available for child The Child’s Current Health and Development Including Harm to the Child: No speech; underweight; listless; unresponsive; home alone twice (once in cot for 6 hours) Predicting Likely Future of Child’s Health and Development: Irreversible developmental delay (cognitive, physical and emotional); high accident risk.

Determine the Prospects for Successful Intervention To determine the prospects for successful intervention the following must be considered: Nature of harm suffered and the child or young person’s wishes and feelings Parental child-centredness the capacity of the parents to recognise, understand, acknowledge and take responsibility for difficulties Modifiability the parents level of motivation and capacity for change regarding the identified difficulties; and whether the child’s circumstances can be improved with safety within a reasonable period taking account of the child’s developmental timeframe Parent’s ability to co-operate with professionals and agencies

The Structure of the Prospects for Successful Intervention Instrument The instrument is structured in terms of the: Areas to be considered Descriptors Scale: better to poorer prospects for intervention which are summarised in the summary grids

The Summary of the Safeguarding Analysis The summary of the safeguarding analysis provides 3 part scales regarding: Overall level of harm and impairment to the child’s health and development (low/moderate/high) Future outlook for the child’s health and development if no intervention: overall level of risk of re-abuse or likelihood of future harm (low/moderate/high) Overall prospects for successful intervention (poor/moderate/good)

Planning Interventions What are the options for interventions which might: (a) help support strengths in health and development and/or (b) help meet impairments in health and development? Towards which strength/impairment in health and development is each intervention targeted? What resources are available? Which of those available is the family most likely to cooperate with? Which intervention is likely to produce the most immediate benefit and which might take time? What should be the sequence of interventions and why? What is the likelihood of achieving sufficient change within the child’s timeframe?

Ispcan workshop 2014 Hope for Children and Families A resource manual of modular systemic Interventions Empowering frontline practitioners to deliver evidence based approaches Arnon Bentovim -Child and Family Training UK Jenny Gray – President ISPCAN Marianne Bentovim – Child and Family Training -UK

Identifying Outcomes and Measuring Change The key outcome is the child’s developmental progress To assess outcomes of intervention need to measure change over time in: The Child’s Development Factors and Processes thought to influence the Child’s Development Need baseline and follow-up measures

The Safeguarding Children Assessment and Analysis Framework www The Safeguarding Children Assessment and Analysis Framework www.childandfamilytraining.org.uk Bentovim, A., Cox, A, Bingley Miller, L. and Pizzey, S. (2009) Safeguarding Children Living with Trauma and Family Violence: A Guide to Evidence- Based Assessment, Analysis and Planning Interventions. London: Jessica Kingsley. Bentovim, A., Bingley Miller, L., Pizzey, S. and Tapp, S. (2013) The Safeguarding Assessment and Analysis Framework. York: Child and Family Training. Department of Health, Department for Education and Employment, and Home Office (2000b) Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families. London. The Stationery Office. Contact: Stephen.Pizzey@childandfamilytraining.org.uk