Assessment and Placement Monitoring

An assessment is the dynamic process of gathering and analysing information in order to undertake informed interventions. This can include an individual assessment of a child and family, or a situational analysis if there are large numbers of vulnerable children, e.g. in an emergency.

An assessment is an essential first step in providing protection services and its importance should not be underestimated. The recommendations made will have far reaching consequences for the affected families, and will influence how an organisation’s resources will be used. It is a vital gatekeeping tool to ensure children receive appropriate services and do not enter into the care system unnecessarily.

The content and procedures for an assessment will vary according to the context, organisational approach, and child care policies of a country. In an emergency context, assessments will include a rapid and ongoing situational analysis in relation to groups of children at risk. This research allows for the planning of resource allocation for the protection of large numbers, and lays the framework for the process and type of care provision. It requires careful analytical skills of numerous variables and the cooperation of the local population, government, and multiple agencies relating to protection, security, sanitation, food, shelter, health and education.

Any child at risk or in need requires an assessment of their wellbeing and the family’s ability to care for them. This is a skilled process through which information is sought, analysed, and acted upon. Assessments should be child centred, evidence based, rooted in child development, and focused on the individual situation and context of the child. Assessments should be interagency in nature and with the full participation of the child and family members. It should be continued over a period of time in order to prepare for the child’s reunification with family, or alternative permanency planning. Assessments therefore should be reviewed regularly in order to address the changing needs of the child. Services which are needed to protect and support the child or family should not wait for an assessment to be completed.

Assessments should identify and build upon the child and family’s strengths, as well as areas for development. A comprehensive assessment should include the causes and areas of concern, the needs of the child and family, the necessary action to safeguard the child, and the desired resources and timescale. It should include an overview of the child’s developmental needs, e.g. health, education and relationships; the parent’s capacity to provide for the child, e.g. safety, warmth, stability; and important family and environmental factors such as relationships, housing, and available resources.

It is vital that all children who have been identified as at risk or in need are regularly monitored to ensure their health and wellbeing. This includes children who are in out-of-home placements such as in kinship, foster and institutional care, and also children who have returned to live with their families or who are newly adopted. Such monitoring and assessment of standards of care, helps to protect children from abuse and exploitation and reduces the incidence of family breakdown and separation.

The resources in this section include forms and guidance on situational analysis, children and family assessments, and placement monitoring information.

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Moving Cage to Cage: An Interim Report of the Special Inquiry into Children and Young People in Alternative Care Arrangements

Zoë Robinson - Advocate for Children and Young People, 02 May 2024

This interim report focuses on hearing the lived experiences of children and young people in alternative care arrangements and lifts up the voices of those who have participated in private hearings as part of this Special Inquiry to date.

Macro-Level Predictors of Child Removals: Do Social Welfare Benefits and Services Reduce Demand for Children’s Out-of-Home Placements?

Timo Toikko, Aleksandra Gawel, Juulia Hietamäki, Laura Häkkilä, Piia Seppälä, Ning Zhu, 26 Mar 2024

The purpose of this macro-level study is to examine the effects of social welfare benefits and services on the demand for child removals. The study is based on the panel data of Finnish municipalities and their social welfare indicators for the period 2010–2021.

Understanding the Potential for a Moratorium on Placing Children Aged 0-6 in Institutional Care

Changing the Way We Care, 11 Mar 2024

This study analyzes statistical data on the institutionalization of children aged between 0-6 years; examines current practices of prevention, identification, assistance, referral, and placement in institutions and family based alternative care; evaluates the knowledge and attitudes of professionals and decision makers and outlines recommendations for the development and introduction of a moratorium on placing children aged between 0-6 years in residential care.

A Systematic Review of the Impact of Placement Instability on Emotional and Behavioural Outcomes Among Children in Foster Care

Darren Maguire, Keziah May, David McCormack, Tim Fosker, 01 Mar 2024

The current review synthesizes the literature regarding the impact of placement instability on behavioural and mental health outcomes in foster care children. Three major databases and grey literature sources were searched for all relevant quantitative research published by July 2019.

Breaking the Cycle: Effect of a Multi-Agency Maternity Service Redesign on Reducing the Over-Representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Newborns in Out-Of-Home Care: A Prospective, Non-Randomised, Intervention Study in Urban Australia

Birri O'Dea, Yvette Roe, Yu Gao, Sue Kruske, Carmel Nelson, Sophie Hickey, Adrian Carson, Kristie Watego, Jody Currie, Renee Blackman, Maree Reynolds, Kay Wilson, Jo Costello, Sue Kildea, 12 Feb 2024

The objective of this study was to determine if an Indigenous-led, multi-agency, partnership redesign of maternity services at a maternity hospital in Brisbane, New Zealand would decrease the likelihood of Indigenous babies being removed at birth and being placed in out-of-home care..

Hope Amidst Crisis: Exploring Perinatal Mental Health and Family Dynamics in Out-of-Home Care Through Virtual Assessments During the UK COVID-19 Response

Udita Iyengar, Jessica Heller-Bhatt, 12 Feb 2024

This perspective piece considers the impact on infant and perinatal health in the context of COVID-19 with particular emphasis on relational dynamics and attachment assessments, using a case study of a foster carer and her child in an out-of-home-care placement. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for safeguarding the well-being of both caregivers and vulnerable children during this challenging time.

Transition Hub for Children Looked After: Feasibility and Pilot Study Report

Nick Axford, Vashti Berry, Lynne Callaghan, Kate Allen, Lucy Cartwright, Rebecca S. Bates, Sarah Rybczynska-Bunt, Jane Horrell, Kristin Liabo, 26 Jan 2024

This is a feasibility and pilot evaluation of the Transition Hub -- a multi-disciplinary team which aims to support young people aged 11 to 17 who are making the transition into care or experiencing a placement transition in England. The feasibility phase explored the feasibility of delivery and aimed to provide lessons for further research. The pilot phase examined whether the Transition Hub might evidence promise on desired outcomes and sought to offer further learning about delivery and acceptability.

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Parents Who Inject Drugs: Demographics, Care Arrangements and Correlates for Child Placement in Out-of-Home Care

Jocelyn Chan, Bernadette Ward, Lisa Maher, Sione Crawford, Mark Stoové, Paul Dietze, 26 Dec 2023

Children in families affected by substance use disorders are at high risk of being placed in out-of-home care (OOHC). The authors of this Australia-based study aimed to describe the characteristics of parents who inject drugs and identify correlates associated with child placement in OOHC.

Increasing the Likelihood of Kinship Placements: Testing the Effectiveness of an Intensive Family Search and Engagement Intervention

Emily Smith Goering, Sarah Kaye, Lucia Reyes, Stephanie Beleal, Alyse Almadani, Caitlin Proctor-Frazier, Elisa Rosman, 06 Dec 2023

This longitudinal study evaluates the effectiveness of BLINDED intervention, an intervention that utilizes family search and engagement practices to place children who enter foster care in kinship placements as quickly as possible in the U.S.

Born into Care: Understanding Care Pathways and Placement Stability for Babies in Wales

Laura Cowley, Laura North, Karen Broadhurst, Stefanie Doebler, Bachar Alrouh, Linda Cusworth, Mariam Abouelenin, Lucy Griffiths, 01 Dec 2023

This report aims to shed light on care pathways and placement stability for infants in Wales, using data from the Children Looked After census collected by Welsh Government. The report is divided into two parts, the first of which focuses on infant entry to care and the second, which focuses on pathways and placement outcomes.