Conducting Initial and Core Assessments 1
Newly Qualified Social workers

Initial and core assessments are specific examples of analytical recording and reporting. Newly qualified Social workers will benefit by attending the course on analytical recording before completing this course.

Assessment is a dynamic process, starting with information received at the point of referral. Undertaking both types of assessment requires an understanding of the guidance from Department of Health (2000) A Framework for the assessment of children in need and their families. This guidance refers to the need to respond to issues of welfare and protection. There are therefore a range of purposes for initial and core assessments.

The framework assists social workers to undertake assessments with a systematic approach to understanding, analysing and recording evidence about children and their families. The expectation is therefore that assessments are firmly rooted in evidence based practice.

The assessment framework is represented as a triangle between three inter related domains: child development needs, parenting capacity and environmental factors, with the child’s welfare at the centre of the triangle. This informs the structure of both initial and core assessments.

The process of assessment requires information gathering about child (ren) parenting capacity, and environmental factors. The information gathered then forms the basis of judgments drawn from data. These judgments may include the need for further specialist assessment. The judgments on interventions should be considered first on the basis of identified need and what is known to best address this need. The second stage is to make decisions regarding interventions in the light of availability of resources.

The learning objectives:

By the end of this course learners should understand:

• Guidance from Department of Health (2000) A Framework for the assessment of children in need and their families
• The purposes of initial and core assessments
• The relationship between referral information, initial assessment and core assessment
• Assessment methods for gathering and collating information about the child, parents and wider environment
• The importance of working in partnership with the parents and child, and other professionals with information about the child in order to ensure that the assessment process is positive for them
• How to utilise the core assessment record as a summary of key information gathered
• The application of the principles of analytical recording and reporting to assessments, including the distinction between judgments and decisions.

Learning methods:

• Self evaluation exercise: skills- challenge matrix
• Tutor presentations
• Case studies
• Handouts
• Small group work
• Group Discussion