1. Evidence for Welfare Practice
Lecture 2.2
Considerations and factors affecting assessment
(modified from the version of Dr. Simon Cauvain 11-12)

2. Preparation/planning for assessment
It is essential that all assessment are clearly planned and that practitioners have prepared sufficiently to undertake them effectively.
Remember that your assessment has the potential to shape future interventions and ultimately the safety and wellbeing of service users etc.

3. Preparation/planning for assessment (cont’d)
Unplanned or uncoordinated assessments may have a detrimental, short and longer term impact on service users, resulting in:
Failure to provide the most appropriate forms of support or protection
Failure to address future needs
May even be harmful to service users
A possible reluctance by the service user to engage in future assessments
Waste of resources

4. Remember…
You will probably have pre-conceived ideas and beliefs about your client/service user(s) that you will need to challenge and be prepared to change.
Planning does not mean you begin the assessment armed with pre-conceived solutions and outcomes.

5. Beware of pre-conceived ideas about your case
We may have preconceived ideas about your cases and their problems: E.g. in the case of Mdm. Cheung, what image about her pop up in your mind when you read the case information?
Being a 67-year old lady?
About her health?
Why did she trip over and get a fall in the market?
Did she have incontinence problem?
What did you think of the request for residential care?
Your attitude towards residential care
Beware of all these preconceptions!!

6. Focus
If you are unclear as to the nature of the assessment, then think about how the service user must feel - empathy
Be clear
Be honest
Ask
Listen

8. Your plan will include Consider: Who will you collect data from?
What kinds of data will be collected?
When will you collect the data?
Where will it take place?
How long will it last?
Any anticipated difficulties?

9. Two models of collecting information

10. Questioning Model (Smale et al 1993)
Significant
Other
Information
Questions
Professional
Service
user
Questions
Information
Questions
Carer
Gathering information - Links with the Communication Skills module
Information 10

11. Exchange Model Significant Other Professional Service User Carer
Information
Service
User
Information
Information
Carer

12. What are the differences between the two models?
Questioning Model vs Exchange Model?
Which do you prefer? Why?

13. Questioning Model Practitioner asks questions and provides solutions.
Service user provides information.
Practitioner is the expert in people’s problems & needs.
Assessment is based on information provided and professional knowledge & expertise.
Practitioner identifies appropriate resources.

14. Exchange Model Professional & service user share information.
Professional provides information on procedures & possible options.
Professional assumed to have expertise in process of problem solving.
Shared understanding of problems & possible solutions.

15. Exchange Model (cont’d)
Service user assumed to be expert in themselves & their own problems.
Service user gives their perceptions & possible solutions.
Agreement between practitioner & service user about outcome of assessment and roles & actions of those involved in the resolution of problems.

16. As we know…
Assessments are not just about ticking and filling all the right boxes.
Assessments are not about how much information you can gather.
Assessments are not something you do to service users, but with them.

17. Always ask yourself: Are you asking the right questions?
Are you listening and interpreting?
Is the information relevant?
Do you need to consult with others?
Avoid the ‘snapshot’ and get big picture
Avoid ‘drift’
Remember strengths of service users, in addition to limitations

18. Service users’ perspective
Consider what choices service users have when being assessed
Do all service users enter into the assessment voluntarily?
How do they feel about this?
How do you, as the practitioner, feel about this?

19. Service users’ perspective Cont’d)
Imagine the emotional impact of being assessed as to whether you are:
A good enough parent, capable of looking after your children any more
A dangerous individual and a threat to others
Capable of living alone and caring for yourself, or moving into residential care

20. Service users’ perspective Cont’d)
Rather than gaining a new job or a driving licence, the outcome may be much less desirable, leading to:
Loss of Liberty
Loss of Independence
Separation from Children

21. Service users’ perspective Cont’d)
It is understandable these assessments could provoke sad, angry, defensive and guarded reactions from people.
We might try to justify, minimalise our actions.

22. Remember that:
Let the service users tell their stories as far as possible and listen attentively.
Always share your assessment with service user(s) to check whether it is right or not.
Try your best to make your assessment supported with theories and evidence.
Assessments are tentative only and subject to change when new data is collected.
Assessment is an on-going and dynamic process.

23. END