Assessment in child care : using and developing frameworks for practice

This work critically explores the implications of the DOH (2000) "Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families".

The emphasis is on the further development and enhancement for use in a variety of practice situations.

Simon Calder's opening critique highlights the constraints of the Assessment Framework and offers a reformulation to guide workers.

The book then takes a evidence-based appraoch to particular areas of assessment practice and offers conceptual and practical tools for workers who are seeking to implement the Framework within their own contexts and in respect of particular practice issues.

The chapters attempt to address: the key issues in applying the Assessment Framework to the situation under consideration (such as domestic violence) and any additional dimensions that may need to be considered; the areas that need to be covered in the assessment, with the sections being broken down into definition, research evidence and practical tools for information collection; and frameworks to help workers make sense of the information collected and use it as a basis for planning, determining risk levels and outcome management.