APPENDICES Page A. Case File Audit 77 – 78 B. Observation of Practice Templates 78 – 79 C. Gibbs Model of Reflection 80 D. Rolfe Et-Al – So What Model 81 E. Working with Hostility and Disguised Compliance 82 F. Ten Pitfalls in Assessment of Need and Risk and How to avoid Them 83 G. Social Work Methods of Intervention 84 – 85 H. Research and Practice : Useful Websites 86 I. The Eight Data Protection Act Principles 87 Tables re Acceptable and Unacceptable Practice Table 1. Management of Practice 15 Table 2. Practitioner Contact with Children and Young People 35 Table 3. Home Visits to Prepare Assessments 48 Table 4. Planning for Children and Young People 61 – 62 Table 5. Recording and Report Writing 73 – 74
Scrutiny: Auditing Practice Evidence of regular auditing of case records to ensure that practice standards are met routinely. Evidence of follow up of corrective action requirements arising from audits. Little Quality of Plans and Reports Evidence of signatures / electronic equivalents and scrutiny of practitioner Little Supervision, Contracts and frequency Evidence that regular, quality supervision is taking place with all staff. Management advice and decisions are well evidenced and sound. No evidence of regular supervision or it is sporadic and does not meet staff professional development needs. Little evidence of Management decisions or advice appears confusing. Guidance Recording of supervision reflective practice. Supervision contract in place. No supervision contract in place. Annual Appraisal Managers need to be No acknowledgement in the Manager's work or in the interaction with the staff
Workloads ensures that work demands are matched to the skills and abilities of staff members and staff capacities are defined and protected. results in staff being exploited, overloaded and not working effectively or efficiently. The Manager ensures that good takes place within the staff group and all staff are informed of important matters affecting their work. Regular staff meetings take place and are properly set up, chaired and recorded. Staff Meetings have formal agendas and are fully minuted. Communication arrangements are absent or sporadic. Staff meetings are poorly organised. Important developments and information are not shared with staff. No records of staff meetings Challenge and Professional Rigour The Manager sets an example as to how to conduct oneself as professional, sets expectations of good The Manager is inconsistent and unprofessional in their conduct and sets a poor example of conduct. The Manager does not set Expectations that ensure staff work professionally.
Table 2: Practitioner Contact with Children and Young People Evidence of the child's wishes, feelings and aspirations given expression. Practitioner is taking steps to both understand the child's wishes, feelings and aspirations and ensuring they are recorded, expressed and fully considered in implementing plans. Practitioner mainly concerned with service led issues with little or no attention to the child's wishes, feelings and aspirations, ensuring they inform decisions. Evidence of child attending meetings and discussions where appropriate. Practitioner takes steps to encourage and support child's active involvement in decisions or meetings about them. Evidence of full and active communication I use of restorative practice approach. Practitioner does not encourage or support child's involvement in decision making, and is taking few or no steps to rectify this. Evidence of direct work to meet needs, egg life story work. Practitioner is working directly with the child to help them develop emotionally and reconcile previous trauma. Practitioner takes on the limited role of case Manager with little evidence of direct work with the child. Evidence of sibling and family contact. Practitioner arranges continuing contact with siblings and appropriate family members. Limited or no arrangements for continuing contact with family members.
The child's welfare is everyone's responsibility. To achieve this all involved agencies must work together in partnership to ensure the progress of the plan. Child in Need Meetings Child in Need (CIN) meetings are arranged where a child has been assessed to require support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989. It is an opportunity for the child, parents/carers and other key agencies to identify and agree the most effective inter-agency services to meet assessed need and to update a CIN plan. The family must be supported and encouraged to engage and attend the meeting. Consideration should be given to involving the child and supporting their attendance. CIN meetings can take place in a variety of locations except for the family home, unless in exceptional circumstances and agreed by the Manager. Parents I carers must give consent as it is a voluntary service. If consent is not obtained, consideration must be given to how the child's needs would be best met. For example: Escalate to CP plan De-escalate to CAF Single Agency Response Timescales and frequency - A CIN initial meeting must be convened within 15 working days of a decision that the CIN meeting is required. This decision may be made during or on the completion of the child and family assessment. In Trafford, the frequency of subsequent CIN meetings will be held every four weeks. Once each CIN meeting has taken place, the plan must be updated within two weeks of meeting and each professional must have a record detailing actions and timescales. The plan MUST be signed by all those in attendance, including parent. Key responsibilities- The social work team Manager should chair the initial CIN meeting and an agreement must be reached at this meeting regarding who will chair subsequent CIN review meetings.
Theme Acceptable Unacceptable Quality of the Plan The plan is well written and presents the evidence based assessment of needs and risk, the proposed interventions and actions to be taken, with a risk analysis of each action. The expected outcomes, the resources and timescales to make progress and the reviewing arrangements are in place. The plan is poorly written, the assessment is partial and not fully evidence based, there is a weak connection between needs and risk and actions to address these, and it is not clear how the actions will bring about improved outcomes. The timescales are unclear and resources are unspecified. Involvement of parents in the plan Parents of the child are actively involved in discussions about proposals within the plan prior to meetings and decision making. This takes account of the legal status of the parent and upholds the principle of partnership working with parents and families. Members of the extended family network are involved if appropriate. Parents have minimal or no involvement with the drafting of the plan or the planning process. They are not actively informed of intentions or actions to be taken and are marginal to planning actively. Extended family is not involved even if it might be appropriate. Involvement of children in the plan Children are involved (appropriately for their age and development) in the preparation of the plan. Their wishes and feelings are given full expression and they are actively involved in the planning process. Children are marginal to the production of the plan, have not made a contribution and their wishes and feelings are not taken account of or recorded in the plan. Discussions with the child are tokenistic and do not take account of their age or development.
Method Focus for intervention Main Theories Behavioural Work Intervention targeting aspects of individual observable behaviours. Draws on a range of theories of cognition. McGuire (2000): Sheldon 1995 Brief Solution focused work A short term, strengths based method with an emphasis on utilizing coping mechanisms /skills to resolve new challenges. For use in need cases, not child protection work. De Shazer (1982): Milner(2001) Care Management The process of identifying the social and health care needs of individuals in the community, together with planning and delivery of integrated programmes designed to meet those needs. Orme and Social Glastonbury (1994) Coulshed & Orme (1998) Community Work A wide ranging set of practices designed to improve the quality of life for individuals within designated areas, geographical localities and communities. Popple (1995): Twelvetrees (2002) Counselling The process whereby a trained professional counsellor gives another person support and guidance in an individual or group setting. Brearley (1995): Seden (199) Crisis Intervention A term method of intervention utilising a crisis situation as a catalyst for change. Walker (2004): Barnes (1998) Feminist/narrative work A diversity of social work approaches that have as their common element recognition of women’s oppression and the aim of overcoming its effects. Dominelli (2002): Hamner and Stratham (1999) Group work A range of activities, including a method of social work Brown (1992): Doel and Sawdon (1999): (1993)