Community Based Assessments are done within the family home, for a period of about twelve weeks. All Community Based Assessments are aimed to ensure the level of disruption to the child is minimised. Community Based Programmes can be conducted with the child/ren at home or if the children are in alternative care. This includes the child’s placement during the assessment and the travel for the child will be minimised wherever possible. The positive and negative aspects of returning the child to the care of the parent/s would be considered. The exact programme of assessment work will be tailored to the individual needs and requirements of each family.

These assessment programmes require four of five days a week of interventions with mother and father and would involve observations of their care of the child/ren within agreed contact arrangements.

The assessment aims to explore the parents’ capacity to care for their child/ren and assess what reasonable support could be provided to enable parents to offer safe and good enough parenting. We will examine if the parents can place focus of their efforts on the child/ren thus demonstrating a potential to meet their needs and place them foremost.

We would also examine what support could be provided to the parents from professionals, the community and their family/friends and assess if it is appropriate, sustainable and likely to benefit the children or otherwise. The assessment would also entail the detailed interviewing of other family members and friends of the family, if appropriate. The Community Assessment can include more than is listed above as this is not an exhaustive list but rather a demonstration of types of assessment protocols that would be necessary to produce a comprehensive report to help determine the way forward.

We would commence such an assessment immediately on receipt of a Letter of Instruction and ideally following a professionals meeting. We would file the Report one week after the end of the six weeks assessment period.