Draft Single Assessment | Families First Partnership (FFP) programme

We've drafted the Single Assessment and we'd like to hear your thoughts. If you would like to ask families or children for their thoughts, please do review the single assessment with them or share in your organisation, any feedback will be greatly appreciated. This is only our first draft so we'd love your input on what could make it better!

Below is a link to a Microsoft form containing the proposed questions. In the response section you can comment on the question/wording. These responses will come back to the team and would be a great way to hear feedback.

Alternatively here's a copy of the questions you can read and feedback on by emailing families.first@stoke.gov.uk

Helping hand plan overview

Your Child's Helping Hand Plan is about understanding your family, what is and has been happening, the help you may need, and what needs to happen so everyone in the family is safe.

A Family Help Lead Practitioner will meet with you and your child or children to complete this assessment and they will be your Family Help Lead Practitioner.

You and your children’s views and opinions are really important. You know yourselves better than anyone.

So that your Helping Hand Plan provides the best understanding about your child or children’s needs it is important that other professionals who know you are able to provide their information.

Your wider family and other people who have an important role in your family life will also be able to tell us about the role they can play in supporting your family.

Your Helping Hand Plan will help us understand the help your child or children and family may need. This may be through directing you to other support services, agreeing an early family help plan, or if there are worries about your child or children’s safety a child protection plan may be recommended.

As part of our Family Help service, together we can identify support for you from your wider family, support networks or professionals in your community such as school or early years staff, health visitors, school nurses, midwifery, doctors, family help practitioners or social workers.

Consent

You have the right to consent to this assessment and information being shared and we will talk with you about what this means and who information will be shared with.

In some circumstances where there are worries about your child, we can complete an assessment and information can be shared between your family help practitioner and other professionals without your consent.

If this is the situation your Family Help Practitioner will talk to you about our worries and explain why the assessment needs to be completed.

Consent not required (Section 47).

Reason for assessment and outline plan for completion

Assessment activity and timeframe for the assessment to be carried out.

Target completion date for this stage of assessment.

Reason for undertaking this assessment or presenting issues.

Identity

Adult pen picture – how do I describe myself.

What am I good at and what do I need help with.

My family events – choose three or more important life events, why you have chosen these and how they have impacted on you.

Child’s voice, wishes and feelings

Child’s pen picture – how do I describe myself.

My identity.

What I do well, what I enjoy, and my hopes and plans for the future.

Who is important to me, including friends, peers, education and health.

Any additional needs I may require support with.

My family timeline – the best day of my life, the worst day of my life, and what I have said about the reason for the family assessment.

Has a genogram and or eco map been attached to this assessment? Yes.

Preparation for adulthood

This section is completed for children open to the CWD Team from age 14, and for children from Year 9 where there is an EHC Plan.

Is this section applicable? Yes.

Like and admire

What people like and admire about me.

What I am good at.

Preparing for adulthood

Employment, independent living, good health, and friends and community outcomes.

Plans and outcomes

Outcomes being sought.
Actions in the next 12 months.
Who will provide support.
What success will look like.

Contextual safeguarding

Risk outside the home

Are there any concerns regarding risk outside of the home? Yes.

Brief outline of contextual safeguarding concerns.

Impact of peers and community.

School safety and attendance concerns.

Neighbourhood and perceived risk.

Assessment of extra-familial harm for siblings.

Whether the child is heard at the MACE Panel.

Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970

Provisions under the Act

Practical assistance in the child’s home.
Recreational facilities or assistance in obtaining them.
Educational and recreational outings or facilities.
Assistance with travel to services.
Adaptations or additional facilities within the home.
Support with holidays.
Provision of meals.
Provision of a telephone or specialist equipment.

Summary analysis and outcomes

Risk factors identified

Alcohol misuse.
Drug misuse.
Domestic abuse.
Mental health concerns.
Learning disability.
Physical disability or illness.
Young carer responsibilities.
Missing episodes.
Child sexual exploitation.
Trafficking.
Gangs.
Self-harm.
Abuse or neglect.
Child criminal exploitation.

Information sharing and consent statement

We work with partners to provide public services and may need to share information in order to do this. Information is shared in a way that protects privacy.

The person undertaking this assessment will explain openly and honestly what information will be shared and why.

Information is collected to understand what help you and your family may need. Where necessary, information may be shared with other organisations to provide effective support.

The wishes of children, young people and families who do not consent to information sharing will be respected unless there are concerns that a child has suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm.

Section 2

Assessment triangle

Please consider all areas of the assessment triangle when assessing each domain. Include both areas of concern and areas where there are positive outcomes.

Parenting capacity

Parent's contribution

Strengths, including what is going well, parenting skills, knowledge, and what the parent feels they does well.
What the parent enjoys about caring for their child, including what they feel is the best thing about their children.
Difficulties or challenges that make it harder to care for their children.
How the parent’s own experience of being parented has shaped their parenting.
How the children might describe the parent as a parent.
What the children would like the parent to change about their parenting.

Family, community and environmental factors

Parent's contribution

What the parent likes about their neighbourhood and community.
What they dislike or find difficult about their local area.
Any experiences of bullying, discrimination, or anti-social behaviour affecting the family or child.
Local services or resources the family finds helpful.
Resources that could help but are not currently accessible.
The impact of poverty or financial pressure on family life.

Children’s developmental needs

This section focuses on the child’s development across all areas of the assessment triangle.

Consider the child’s health, education, emotional and behavioural development, identity, family and social relationships, social presentation, and self-care skills.

Family help lead practitioner analysis

This section brings together analysis based on the information provided across all domains.

What is going well and what helps to keep the children safe.
Current and future worries.
The impact of these worries on the children.
What is likely to happen if nothing changes.