Improving Child and Family Assessments

Improving Child and Family Assessments PDF Author: Danielle Turney
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 9780857005533
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book

Book Description
The quality of the assessment of children in need has a significant impact on outcomes for the children concerned. Good assessment contributes to better outcomes, but poor assessment can have tragic consequences. Understanding what makes a good assessment is vital. This book brings together findings from 10 years of UK research that shed light on different aspects of child and family assessment, and examines the evidence for what works in promoting the best outcomes for children. It covers thresholds for assessment and intervention, what information should be collected in assessments, and assessments in different contexts. It also examines key aspects of practice and the factors that can help or hinder good quality assessment. These areas include analysis, critical thinking and reflection; engaging with children and families; and inter-professional working. Structural, procedural and organisational factors are also considered. In summarising the research, this important book provides key messages on the links between assessment and outcomes for children, and offers implications for policy and practice. It will be essential reading for social work practitioners, academics, students and researchers, and all those in the child protection field.

Improving Child and Family Assessments

Improving Child and Family Assessments PDF Author: Danielle Turney
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 9780857005533
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book

Book Description
The quality of the assessment of children in need has a significant impact on outcomes for the children concerned. Good assessment contributes to better outcomes, but poor assessment can have tragic consequences. Understanding what makes a good assessment is vital. This book brings together findings from 10 years of UK research that shed light on different aspects of child and family assessment, and examines the evidence for what works in promoting the best outcomes for children. It covers thresholds for assessment and intervention, what information should be collected in assessments, and assessments in different contexts. It also examines key aspects of practice and the factors that can help or hinder good quality assessment. These areas include analysis, critical thinking and reflection; engaging with children and families; and inter-professional working. Structural, procedural and organisational factors are also considered. In summarising the research, this important book provides key messages on the links between assessment and outcomes for children, and offers implications for policy and practice. It will be essential reading for social work practitioners, academics, students and researchers, and all those in the child protection field.

Making Sense of Child and Family Assessment

Making Sense of Child and Family Assessment PDF Author: Duncan Helm
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 9780857002983
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Get Book

Book Description
The application of assessment frameworks hinges on human qualities and skills which are naturally prone to bias and inconsistency. Making Sense of Child and Family Assessment aims to support workers in analysing and making sense of the information gathered, and increasing accuracy and empathy in assessing the needs and risks for vulnerable children and young people. This book offers best practice guidance on how to analyse information gathered during the assessment of children and young people and their families. Good assessments take time and need to be appropriately resourced. A range of analytical tools are also needed if practitioners are to present assessments of children's needs which lead to meaningful care plans and improved outcomes. Helm introduces the key messages emerging from policy and research, and provides insights into today's multi-disciplinary practice. Professionals working in child welfare and protection roles, such as social workers, health visitors, midwives and teachers will find this practical guide to analysis invaluable in interpreting needs and outcomes.

Making Sense of Child and Family Assessment

Making Sense of Child and Family Assessment PDF Author: Duncan Helm
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 1843109239
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 228

Get Book

Book Description
Analysing children's needs is a crucial part of assessment in child protection, yet support for practitioners carrying it out is lacking. Making Sense of Child and Family Assessment provides best practice guidance on how to analyse the information gathered during the assessment of the needs of children and young people and their families. The application of assessment frameworks hinges on human qualities and skills which are naturally prone to bias and inconsistency. This book provides practical, accessible guidance on how to apply assessment frameworks successfully, how to increase accuracy and empathy and how to analyse and represent children's needs faithfully in order to improve outcomes. The author provides an overview of key elements of theory, research and practice, and covers issues such as how information is gathered and analysed by different professionals in different sectors, and how this information is shared; how to form accurate hypotheses about cases; how to develop professional intuition; and how to improve analytical skills. Professionals working in child welfare and protection roles, such as social workers, health visitors, midwives and teachers, will find this practical guide to analysis invaluable in interpreting needs and outcomes. The titles in the Best Practice in Working with Children series are written for the multi-agency professionals working to promote children's welfare and protect them from harm. Each book in the series draws on current research into what works best for children, providing practical, realistic suggestions as to how practitioners in social work, health and education can work together to promote the resilience and safety of the children in their care. Brigid Daniel is Professor of Social Work in the Department of Applied Social Science at the University of Stirling. She is co-author of several textbooks and practice resources on child care and protection. She was a member of the multi-disciplinary team that carried out a national ministerial review of child protection practice in Scotland.

Parenting Matters

Parenting Matters PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309388570
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 525

Get Book

Book Description
Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

Child and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice

Child and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice PDF Author: Sally Holland
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1446259765
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Get Book

Book Description
This thoroughly revised and updated second edition of Child and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice is an essential guide for social work students and practitioners involved in the assessment of children and their families. Focusing on ′core′ assessments and guiding the reader through the complexities of conducting assessments of need and risk, the book now includes within each chapter a range of specifically-tailored exercises and focus points which encourage readers both to reflect on what they have learnt and to understand how they can apply that learning to practice. Placing a strong emphasis on good, evidence-based, assessment practice, Sally Holland has also, for this new edition, included original research evidence from a wide range of up-to-date research studies which are relevant to today′s practice and which aim to promote a critical and reflective approach to the assessment process. The book is divided into three parts: - Part 1 explores different appoaches to assessment work, outlining policy changes and their implications for working with children and their families. - Part 2 studies those involved in child and family assessments: children and their parents; and the relationship between the assessors and the assessed. - Part 3 - a more practical guide - outlines the actual process of an assessment, illustrated by case studies, focusing on planning assessment methods, analysis, reporting and critical evaluation. Accessibly relating theory and research to actual practice through the use of case studies, exercises, and suggestions for good practice and further reading, this book has a student-friendly structure It will be an invaluable resource for practitioners and academics across the field of social welfare, particularly for those embarking on, or already involved in, child and family assessment.

Early Childhood Assessment

Early Childhood Assessment PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309314429
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 501

Get Book

Book Description
The assessment of young children's development and learning has recently taken on new importance. Private and government organizations are developing programs to enhance the school readiness of all young children, especially children from economically disadvantaged homes and communities and children with special needs. Well-planned and effective assessment can inform teaching and program improvement, and contribute to better outcomes for children. This book affirms that assessments can make crucial contributions to the improvement of children's well-being, but only if they are well designed, implemented effectively, developed in the context of systematic planning, and are interpreted and used appropriately. Otherwise, assessment of children and programs can have negative consequences for both. The value of assessments therefore requires fundamental attention to their purpose and the design of the larger systems in which they are used. Early Childhood Assessment addresses these issues by identifying the important outcomes for children from birth to age 5 and the quality and purposes of different techniques and instruments for developmental assessments.

Assessment of Young Children

Assessment of Young Children PDF Author: Lisa B. Fiore
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136831681
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 215

Get Book

Book Description
In an era of standards and norms where assessment tends to minimize or dismiss individual differences and results in punitive outcomes or no action at all, Assessment of Young Children provides teachers with an approach to assessment that is in the best interest of both children and their families. Author Lisa B. Fiore explores a variety of ways to study and assess young children in their natural environments, while stressing the importance of bringing children and families into the process. This lively text helps the reader learn how to cultivate developmentally appropriate practice, create appropriate expectations, examine children’s work, interact in groups, and improve their teacher behavior. Accounts of real experiences from children, families, teachers, and administrators provide on-the-ground models of assessment stategies and demonstrate how children are affected. Assessment of Young Children explores both standardized and authentic assessment, work sampling systems, and observation skills. Readers will walk away with strategies for communicating information about children and portfolio assessment, and how the use of formal and informal methods of observation, documentation, and assessment are connected to teacher and student inquiry. Assessment of Young Children encourages an assessment strategy where the child remains the focus and explores how collaboration with children, families, and colleagues creates an image—not a diagnosis—of the child that is empowering rather than constraining. Special Features Include: Case Study examples that anchor the concepts presented in the chapters and engage readers more deeply in the content. "Now what?" and "Avenues for Inquiry" throughout the book present students with concrete extensions of the material that they may pursue for further investigation

Children's Health, the Nation's Wealth

Children's Health, the Nation's Wealth PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309166608
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Get Book

Book Description
Children's health has clearly improved over the past several decades. Significant and positive gains have been made in lowering rates of infant mortality and morbidity from infectious diseases and accidental causes, improved access to health care, and reduction in the effects of environmental contaminants such as lead. Yet major questions still remain about how to assess the status of children's health, what factors should be monitored, and the appropriate measurement tools that should be used. Children's Health, the Nation's Wealth: Assessing and Improving Child Health provides a detailed examination of the information about children's health that is needed to help policy makers and program providers at the federal, state, and local levels. In order to improve children's health-and, thus, the health of future generations-it is critical to have data that can be used to assess both current conditions and possible future threats to children's health. This compelling book describes what is known about the health of children and what is needed to expand the knowledge. By strategically improving the health of children, we ensure healthier future generations to come.

Assessing Children's Needs and Circumstances

Assessing Children's Needs and Circumstances PDF Author: Hedy Cleaver
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 1843101599
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 440

Get Book

Book Description
Drawing on interviews with social workers and their managers, and families and young people themselves, the authors of this important book show how the principles embodied in the Assessment Framework have been applied to social work practice. This book should be read by all professionals working to promote the welfare and well-being of children.

Mastering Whole Family Assessment in Social Work

Mastering Whole Family Assessment in Social Work PDF Author: Fiona Mainstone
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN: 0857004840
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280

Get Book

Book Description
How do you keep the whole family in mind when carrying out social work assessment? How do you balance the needs of adults and children? How do you ensure that children's welfare and safety are everyone's priority when families face complex difficulties? Mastering Whole Family Assessment in Social Work brings together what social workers in adult and children services need to know about assessment across both services. With tools and frameworks that make sense of the interface between adult life difficulties, family problems, parenting capacity and children's needs, this practical guide will help social workers to think across professional and administrative divides. Case studies, practice vignettes, exercises and suggestions for further reading are included throughout the book to help the reader consider the well-being of the whole family when conducting and interpreting assessments. This guide will help social workers to think holistically and work collaboratively both with each other and with families.