RESIDENTIAL PARENTING ASSESSMENTS
Combining over 25 years of experience in managing and assessing parenting capacity within residential family centres, we provide in-depth, independent and expert residential parenting assessments in the South West.
Our bespoke parenting assessments incorporate key elements of The Family Safeguarding Model. We provide a team around the family and liaise with key partners in order to comprehensively explore and assess parents’ capacity to change and learn.
- Through direct work we enable, inspire and lead a culture of helping parents to develop their skills
- Motivational Interviewing techniques encourage parents to actively participate in the assessment process
- Feedback is offered immediately, through Daily Feedback Sessions and Weekly Reflective Meetings
- We hold regular Placement Review Meetings with the child’s Social Worker as a minimum at 2 weeks, the Interim Stage at 6 weeks and a Final Review at 10 weeks.
Our work with families is strengths based and we utilise The Signs of Safety approach. This is effective in setting clear goals and facilitating the acquisition and development of skills. This process is key to making conclusions in our Weekly Summary Reports.
- Our Assessing Social Work team are all ParentAssess trained and will utilise these tools to help inform our overall parenting assessment.
- Our Healthy Relationships programme has been adapted from the ‘Freedom Programme’ and ‘Me, You and Baby too’ resources. We also incorporate the ‘Freedom Flowers’ resources to explore a parents understanding of the risk of abuse to children.
- Our CCTV system is a valuable learning tool and we refer to Video Interactive Guidance as a means of supporting parents to become sensitive and attuned with their child’s emotional needs.
Our extensive experience of working in residential family centres has provided us with aspirations to practice with trauma informed principles at the core of our work.
The team receive regular training specifically tailored to meet the variety of learning needs and objectives for our parenting assessments.
Our observations capture the quality of relationships between parents and children, and their ability to attune and evolve with their changing needs. Our teaching methods hold relationship based principles at the centre of direct work and includes:
- Support with basic childcare
- PAMS 4.0 informed approaches
- Healthier Together ‘Start 4 Life’ workshops
- Weaning workshops
- Accredited infant massage programme
- ‘Baby PEEP’ workshops
- Practical support including cookery, budgeting and maintaining a safe living environment
- Tracking their child’s journey through photographs, cards and life story work
Our assessment programme incorporates a ‘whole family response’ by promoting regular family time. This enables us to gather more in depth evidence to inform realistic support plans beyond our residential assessment.
Our relaxing space located adjacent to the centre provides comfort and privacy for wider family members to enjoy regular planned time with their loved ones.
The team can facilitate and supervise family time once agreed with the Local Authority and our comprehensive written records can be used to help inform wider family assessments if required.
