3.1.4 Family Assessment Centre - Statement of Purpose

RELATED CHAPTERS

See Process of Referral: Family Assessment Centre Procedure

Services Provided
Aims and Objectives
Ethos and Philosophy
Assessment Techniques to be used
Admission Criteria
Conditions of Placement
Circumstances in which Placements can be Terminated
Advice, Guidance and Support Provided
Arrangements for Professional Supervision
Arrangements for Protecting Children
Policies and Procedures
Arrangements for Respecting the Privacy and Dignity of Residents
Complaints, Compliments and Comments
Fire Regulations
Confidentiality Policy
Staff Training
Fees

1. Services Provided

Family Assessment Centre provides a residential assessment facility for families who are experiencing difficulties parenting their babies and young children. It comprises of two semi detached houses in the grounds of Shenstone residential home. It is conveniently located within walking distance of the local shops, clinic and GP and main bus routes are easily accessible. Facilities include private lounge, dining room, bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen in house 2 and are similar in House 1 although this kitchen is shared with staff. Laundry and baby changing facilities are also provided.

Both houses have easy access to private rear gardens where the patio and grassy areas are enclosed by secure fencing.

There is a staff bedroom in each house and staff are on call 24 hours per day to provide support advice and guidance to parents. Staff have separate bathing and toilet facilities.

Staff at Family Assessment Centre should at all times endeavour to work in partnership with families placed at the Centre, seeking whenever possible to promote a feeling of safety and well-being.
Individual parenting support programmes will be offered, according to the needs and capabilities of the individual.
A Link worker system will be in operation to encourage the development of a working relationship with families and staff, based on mutual understanding, respect and trust.
The Registered Manager should be available if needed to respond to and liaise with parents at initial and subsequent progress meetings and on a day-to-day basis.
Staff are aware of the fact that for some families they may be given little choice in their admission to the Centre. As far as possible every attempt will be made to consult and empower families to make choices whilst living in the Centre, bearing in mind that the 'Child's welfare is paramount'.

The Family Assessment Centre is not able to accommodate wheelchair users or anyone with a severe health condition requiring nursing care.

2. Aims and Objectives

The Centre provides an environment in which families placed with us can feel safe and supported whilst their parenting is assessed. The service provides a relaxed and non-institutionalised atmosphere with an expectation that styles of behaviour will be consistent with ordinary family life.
The Centre provides a residential assessment service to families where there is risk of significant harm to children.
The service enables children to live safely with their families in self-contained accommodation, whilst care from their parents/carers is assessed with a view to the development of parenting skills and a better understanding of the child's needs.
Assessments enable informed decisions to be made about whether or not it would be in the child's best interest to remain in the permanent care of their parents/carers.
To provide parents with opportunities to demonstrate and develop their parenting abilities using a variety of methods.
To assist in the re-unification of babies and young children with their parents following a period of separation.
To provide facilities for families to develop independent living skills.
To provide a safe and nurturing environment for families undergoing assessment.
To work in partnership with families, social workers and other agencies in a non- discriminatory manner.
To work within agreements which are sensitive, fair and objective.
To support parents in acknowledging their responsibilities as parents.

3. Ethos and Philosophy

The purpose of the Centre is to provide a comprehensive assessment of parenting skills in accordance with the Department of Health Assessment Framework. This will be conducted during a six to twelve week period and will be followed by a Community Based Assessment. The Placement Plan and frequency of assessment reviews will be established at a Pre-Admissions Meeting. Individual parenting needs will be assessed and a creative, flexible approach will be adopted as far as possible. Residents will be encouraged to read and discuss their progress reports and have access to their own individual information files.

Staff at the Centre recognise that parents will have had different experiences in life and may need differing levels of support. Referrals can be considered for young parents under the age of 16, care leavers and parents who may have ongoing mental health or drug and alcohol related issues. Progress is closely monitored and each case is assessed individually according to need. Staff liaise with others professionals involved in the residents life including social workers, health professionals and solicitors as well as family members and keep all the relevant parties updated on a regular basis.

Staff are aware of the need to take into account the families religious beliefs, racial origin, cultural and linguistic background and any specific need resulting from disability.

The underlying ethos of the Centre is embodied in the Children Act 1989 which requires professionals to work in partnership with parents/carers to assess their individual parenting needs whilst ensuring that the child's welfare is paramount.

In order to assess parenting needs staff need to adopt a flexible approach to working with families and develop a relationship based on trust and understanding.
Workers will enable parents to realise their child's developmental needs and quality of attachment in their relationship.
Family observation will be evidence based and supported by current and relevant research to maintain the optimum level of objectivity.

4. Assessment Techniques to be used

The main assessment technique is the Department of Health Framework for the Assessment of Children based on Messages from Research and The Children Act 1989. This will maintain a degree of standardisation of the assessment along with the additional assessment information provided and collected by other professionals.

Parenting ability is a unique, individual process based on the experiences and resources of parents and carers, therefore no single assessment technique will be adopted; eclectic use of available theories will enhance the assessment evaluation.

Observations of family relationships will play a key part in informing the child's developmental needs and quality of the attachment relationship between the caregiver and the child.
The assessment will depend on the parent's willingness to recognise the concerns and their motivation to change their current circumstances. Staff within the Centre will adopt an empowering approach to enable parents to express their wishes and feelings for the future of their family.
Detailed observational checklists will be used to make a record of practical parenting tasks in order to assist in decision making.

Specialist therapeutic techniques are not used at the Centre unless they are supervised by a suitably qualified person.

5. Admission Criteria

Referrals to the Centre are made to the Admissions Panel, which meets monthly and is chaired by a member of the Divisional Management Group.

Referrals are made where there is potential for family breakdown due to the risk of significant harm to the child/children. There is no minimum or maximum age requirement for parent/carers or children.

The service provides residential and non-residential assessment for parents with behaviour or life-style concerns, which present particular risks to children and include:

The adult behavioural consequences of all forms of child abuse.
Drug and alcohol misuse.
Substance misuse combined with other psychiatric disorders for those parents/carers who are currently receiving ongoing professional advice, support or medical treatment to monitor their mental health.
Inability to separate from abusive relationships with partners or other family members.
Young care leavers or teenage parents under 16 experiencing parenting for the first time.
Parents with some degree of learning disability which may affect their ability to parent safely.

The panel will also consider referrals for Community Based Assessments subject to a comprehensive risk assessment.

6. Conditions of Placement

All residents are self-catering and are expected to provide for all their own physical needs and those of their child/ren. Parents will also be expected to carry out the full range of domestic activities in partnership with centre staff.

Safety of residents, visitors and staff in the centre is of paramount importance and parents will be supported in familiarising themselves with the home safety checklists.

Medication must be stored and administered as set out in health and safety guidelines. All medication should be declared to staff and will be kept in the lockable cupboard in the office and issued on request. Consent to staff administering first aid, prescribed or non-prescribed medication to children in the absence of the parents will be obtained on admission.

There are recommended visiting times for extended family and friends, but in special circumstances and with prior negotiation with staff, alternative arrangements will be considered.

7. Circumstances in which Placements can be Terminated

The Family Assessment Centre is an intensive unit where advice and guidance is provided 24 hours a day. Every family that is placed at the Centre will have different needs and there will be varying concerns about their parenting ability. Therefore, the following conditions are standard for all residents but each family will have other conditions applying that will have been agreed at the Pre-Placement meeting and will have been signed by all parties on admission.

Smoke free.
No alcohol, solvents or unprescribed drugs are permitted on the premises at any time.
For health and safety reasons no chip pans or candles are permitted.
The conditions of residents' accommodation should be kept to a reasonable standard.
There are no facilities for pets at the Centre.
Threatening or aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated.
Racist, sexist and other abusive language will not be tolerated.
Service users and staff have a right to have their privacy respected.

Circumstances in which placements will be terminated should only occur after staff and senior management have informed the person involved that their behaviour is unacceptable according to the terms and conditions of placement within the Centre.

The overriding principle which governs this decision is that the child's welfare is paramount. If parents continue to ignore or accept advice that their placement is at risk, then the situation will be resolved by terminating their placement.

This should only happen as a result of a continued attempt to involve the parent and inform the relevant professionals of the seriousness of this and the consequences for the child/children's future.

8. Advice, Guidance and Support Provided

Staff based within the Centre will offer advice and practical support on all aspects of parenting and child development. Staff will support parents in developing their strengths and areas for improvement in parenting their child/children. They will use behaviour modification techniques, role-play, videos, modeling and discussion with parents on their views of their own parenting skills. In addition, staff will also explore the parents' perception of parenting and their own experiences of being parented as a child. Staff will liaise with key professionals in accessing other services, which will complement the parenting ability of the families.

9. Arrangements for Professional Supervision

All staff within the Centre will receive monthly, professional supervision in accordance with the divisional supervision policy. This is recorded on a file and kept in a secure storage unit.

Supervision is used to monitor family progress, discuss training needs, workload management and personal issues for staff. Personal Development Reviews take place on a yearly basis.

The Registered Manager is regularly supported and supervised by her Line Manager in accordance with directorate policy. The Registered Manager is a member of the Family Support Management Group and a member of the Family Centre Admissions Panel.

10. Arrangements for Protecting Children

The manager and staff believe that all children should live in a safe and secure environment and work within the Divisional Child Protection Procedures in order to keep children safe from abuse or neglect. We will provide a level of supervision, which will ensure a high degree of vigilance to achieve this objective.

A copy of the Directorate's Child Protection Procedures is kept within the Centre. The manager and staff are all aware of these procedures, having read them and understand what is required of them. Clear procedures govern allegations or suspicions of abuse either by staff or other residents. Any allegation is reported to the registered manager, the appropriate social worker and the police.

A summary of immediate action to be taken in the event of allegations or suspicions of abuse for all temporary and permanent staff is available in the Procedures folder.

11. Policies and Procedures

Dudley Directorate of Children's Services operates a range of policies and procedures to facilitate the smooth running of its residential services, which comply with current legislation and best practice. These include policies, procedures and guidance on:

Case recording access to records and confidentiality.
Admissions, care planning and reviewing.
Health and Safety, including smoking risk assessment, fire and emergencies.
Child protection and allegations of abuse in placement.
Positions of Trust which includes the giving of gifts and hospitality and whistle blowing.
Complaints, representation, Children's Rights, and Advocacy.
Equal Opportunities, anti racist practice and working with adults and children from ethnic minorities.
First Aid, storage and administration of medication.
Policy on surveillance and monitoring equipment.
Fire precautions and associated emergency procedures.
Bullying and harassment. Copies of the above are available for reference at the Family Assessment Centre.

12. Arrangements for Respecting the Privacy and Dignity of Residents

Staff at the Centre will aim to treat everyone as an individual, in an honest, respectful and empathetic manner. It is acknowledged that all service users have the right to privacy and are provided with lockable bedrooms. These will only be entered by staff with the resident's permission or when the safety of a child is in question.

Family Assessment Centre operates an open recording system and parents are encouraged to read the daily recordings regularly and contribute to them, if they wish. While this information may be shared with the social worker and other appropriate agencies it is also subject to the Data Protection Act 1998.

Residents will be encouraged to maintain links with their family, relatives and friends whenever possible. Contact arrangements will be made through discussion between the District Office and staff at the Centre.

13. Complaints, Compliments and Comments

Families should feel comfortable with voicing any concerns about their stay at Family Assessment Centre and Dudley Directorate of Children's Services operates a Complaints, Comments and Compliments procedure for this purpose. On admission residents are made aware of this procedure and a log of complaints is available at the centre for inspection by managers and other authorised personnel. The Directorate of Children's Services also encourages positive feedback from its service users and written complaints from service users will be formally recorded. Comments and suggestions for improving our services will also be recorded and forwarded to relevant managers for consideration.

Complaints may also be made to the Regulatory Authority.

14. Fire Regulations

Family Assessment Centre has been inspected by the West Midlands Fire Service and a Fire Risk Assessment has been carried out in accordance with the Residential Family Assessment Regulations.

On admission to Family Centre all residents are made aware of what they should do if a fire breaks out in the home.

15. Confidentiality Policy

The Centre has a confidentiality policy, which all staff are made aware of during their induction. All residents have the right to privacy and confidentiality where this is possible. However, if a family is placed in the Centre for an assessment information will need to be shared with other professional agencies so that they can work together to safeguard the welfare of children.

Information sharing will also need to take place with the staff who work at the Centre as it is staffed on a 24 hour a day shift basis. It is imperative that the staff coming on shift are aware of all the issues that have happened since they were last on duty in order to work effectively. Parents will be informed at the Pre-Placement meeting that records are kept and regular feedback will be given to relevant professionals.

Families placed at the Centre will already have been made aware that the reason for the placement is as a direct result of them requiring intensive parenting advice and support and in many cases a full assessment of their ability to parent their child/children on a long term basis.

16. Staff Training

The Social Services Department is committed to continuous staff development and has a three-year staff training strategy, which is regularly updated and modified. This strategy includes a programme of training to National Occupational Standards and assessment for residential staff, which leads to the qualification of NVQ3 Caring for Children and Young People. The training strategy also offers staff the opportunity to apply to undertake training leading to the qualification of Diploma in Social Work in partnership with the Open University.

17. Fees

The Family Assessment Centre is a local authority provision and no fees are charged.

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