The Child's World
Assessing Children in Need
Published on 15. April 2001
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-85302-957-8 (ISBN)
Description
Written for professionals involved in the assessment of children in need, this book is a comprehensive guide to recent developments in research and practice. It looks at the policy framework for assessment, the actual process of assessment, how to assess the developmental needs of children and how to assess their parents' and family's capacity to meet those needs.
The contributors are experts from a range of fields and the guide, which was developed by the NSPCC and is published in association with them, is designed to facilitate productive joint agency work. Key topics covered include:
* ecological perspectives on the child and the family
* attachment theory and child development
* assessing families where the parents have a learning disability
* working with children and families from minority ethnic groups
* the effect of sexual abuse within the family on the assessment process
* assessment prior to birth.
Originally commissioned by the Department of Health, and outlining the developments and theory underpinning their Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families this book will be essential reading for qualified and trainee social workers and those completing the Post Qualifying Award in Child Care. It will also be an indispensable guide for psychologists, teachers, health visitors, and any other professionals and qualifying professionals involved in the assessment of children in need.
The contributors are experts from a range of fields and the guide, which was developed by the NSPCC and is published in association with them, is designed to facilitate productive joint agency work. Key topics covered include:
* ecological perspectives on the child and the family
* attachment theory and child development
* assessing families where the parents have a learning disability
* working with children and families from minority ethnic groups
* the effect of sexual abuse within the family on the assessment process
* assessment prior to birth.
Originally commissioned by the Department of Health, and outlining the developments and theory underpinning their Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families this book will be essential reading for qualified and trainee social workers and those completing the Post Qualifying Award in Child Care. It will also be an indispensable guide for psychologists, teachers, health visitors, and any other professionals and qualifying professionals involved in the assessment of children in need.
Reviews / Votes
Child protection continues to be high on the political agenda and this book will no doubt be a valuable reader for social workers and trainees. Its strength is in the clear organisation and accessible presentation of both practical and theoretical perspectives. -- International Journal of Early Years Education Although the book appears to be primarily aimed at those working in social services, and in particular social workers, it will undoubtedly be of great use to occupational therapists who work in a variety of settings. It will be of particular value to those occupational therapists who are becoming members of integrated teams, alongside their health and social care colleagues, in working with children in need and their families. -- Napot Journal ... this volume is a very useful addition to current literature on childcare assessment work and it deserves to be widely read by relevant professionals. -- Child Abuse Review The Child's World offers an excellent overview of assessment practice for a wide variety of professionals who interact with children. It takes the professional beyond a series of checklists that might be offered in a more shallow assessment and encourages a thorough, holistic assessment of children and families. It is a comprehensive, well-written book for practitioners from a variety of field, and can be valuable reading for professionals in the UK, other parts of Europe and the US. -- European Journal of Social Work This book sets out to guide the reader through recent developments in research and practice in relation to children in need, with the overall aim of promoting assessment practices that produce better outcomes for children and their families. While the text is aimed primarily at social work personnel, some of the issues canvassed will be of interest to lawyers. The text covers a lot of ground under four general headings: the assessment framework; the assessment process; assessing the developmental needs of the child; and assessing parenting capacity to respond to these needs...This collection is concerned with improving the lot of children in need by arguing for a practice much more focused on the service user, in which engaging parents and children in the assessment process is of fundamental importance. At this level it is to be welcomed. The book is clearly laid out with useful summaries at the start of aeach chapter and emphasis practice agendas. -- Child and Family Law Quarterly The Child's World will be of particular interest to any professional involved in the assessment of children in need, including social workers, teachers, health visitors and psychologists. The book is intended to enable practitioners to develop effective assessment practice that will result in appropriate provision of services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need and their families. -- OPFS Briefing It is heartening to read a book which explores so much research, accessibility, and with references for those with particular interests... The greatest value of a book like this lies in the ability to stimulate thinking to help staff to be thoughtful helpers. -- Young Minds MagazineMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-85302-957-8 (9781853029578)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Di Hart worked for many years as a child care social worker and manager before taking up a post at NCB developing practice with children in public care. She has a particular interest in children in secure settings. Recent work has included a review of the use of physical restraint in children's services, the development of a care-planning model for looked after children who go into custody and a project aiming to improve outcomes for the children of drug-misusing parents. Yvonne Shemmings is a Continuing Professional Development Specialist and has trained professionals in over 30 child protection organizations. She is a qualified social worker and a senior manager, and her work includes the use of attachment theory in practice. Both David and Yvonne have published widely in the fields of child and adult attachment and child protection. Robbie Gilligan is Professor of Social Work and Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin and associate director of the Children's Research Centre. He has written extensively on child care and foster care. Gordon Jack has more than 30 years' experience in social work practice, education and research with children and families, and is currently Reader in Social Work at Durham University. David Shemmings is Professor of Social Work in the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research at the University of Kent. He undertook his PhD in attachment theory, and has spent most of his working life in the field of child protection. David was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in June 2014 for 'Services to Child Protection'. Wendy Rose is Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the Open University, UK, and works on national and international child welfare research and development projects. She was previously a senior civil servant advising the government on children's policy. Chris Dearden is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University. She has undertaken extensive research on young carers, and is currently engaged in research on children's perspectives on poverty.
Content
Introduction, Jan Horwath, University of Sheffield. Part One: The Framework. 1. Assessing the World of the Child in Need: Background and Context, Jan Horwath. 2. Assessing Children in Need and their Familes: An Overview of the Framework, Wendy Rose, the Open University. Part Two: The Assessment Process. 3. Ecological Perspectives in Assessing Children and Families, Gordon Jack, Exeter University. 4.The Core Assessment - How to Synthesise Information and Make Judgements, Margaret Adcock, Great Ormond Street Hospital. 5. Assessment of Parental Motivation to Change, Jan Horwath and Tony Morrison, independent social care trainer and consultant in Greater Manchester. 6. Empowering Children and Family Members to Participate in the Assessment Process, Yvonne Shemmings, independent consultant and social researcher, and David Shemmings, University of East Anglia. 7. Entering the Child's World: Communicating with Children to Assess their Needs, Anne Bannister, University of Huddersfield. 8. Assessing Children and Families who Belong to Minority Ethnic Groups, Nick Banks, University of Birmingham. 9. Supervising Assessments of Children and Families: The Role of the Frontline Manager, Enid Hendry and Rosemary Gordon, NSPCC Child Protection Training Centre. Part Three: Assessing the Developmental Needs of Children. 10. The Developmental Needs of Children: Implications for Assessment, Harriet Ward, Loughborough University. 11. Promoting Positive Outcomes for Children in Need: The Assessment of Protective Factors, Robbie Gilligan, Trinity College, Dublin. 12. Attachment, David Howe, University of East Anglia. 13. The Assessment of Children with Complex Needs, Ruth Marchant, Triangle Services for Children, Sussex. 14. Young Carers: Needs, Rights and Assessments, Chris Deardon and Saul Becker, Loughborough University. 15. Assessment Prior to Birth, Di Hart, Camden Social Services. Part Four: Assessing Parental Capacity to Respond to the Developmental Needs of the Child. 16. The Assessment of Parental Capacity, David Jones, the Park Hospital for Children, Oxford. 17. When Parents' Issues Influence their Ability to Respond to Children's Needs, Hedy Cleaver, Royal Holloway College, University of London. 18. Implementing the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families when the Parent has a Learning Disability, David Cotson, South West London NHS Trust, Joanne Friend, social worker in Derby city, Sheila Hollins, St. George's Hospital Medical School, University of London and Helen James, Community Health Services Trust in Derby. 19. Assessing Parental Incapacity when Intrafamilial Sexual Abuse is a Concern, Marcus Erooga, Huddersfield University and NSPCC and Bobbie Print, GMAP care programme in Greater Manchester. 20. Young People who Sexually Abuse: Implications for Assessment, Bobbie Print and Marcus Erooga. Bibliographical References. Index.