Do parents have a choice whether to have a child in need assessment? - Family Rights Group (2024)

Yes. Child in need assessments are voluntary. This means that parents or carers do not have to agree to have an assessment. Remember, a child in need assessment aims to find out what extra help and services a child and their family need. It is about making sure a child has what they need to be healthy and develop well. Help and services following a child in need assessment may prevent needs and difficulties escalating.

If a parent or carer feels that they do not want a child in need assessment it may be a good idea for them to:

  • Take time to think about any worries they have about the assessment
  • Note down the worries and any questions
  • Speak to the social worker who is, or will be, doing the assessment (or another practitioner) about these
  • Ask for further information about the assessment process
  • Ask for further information about what may happen after the assessment
  • Ask them what they would do if you decided not to agree to the assessment.

If a parent or carer does not agree to an assessment, the social worker involved may:

  • Become more worried
  • Become concerned that the family and child will not get the help they need
  • Worry that the child and family may struggle, and things may get worse
  • Look at whether children’s services need to start child protection enquiries or hold a child protection conference.

If a parent or carer decides they want to refuse an assessment, it is good idea if they:

  • Show how the child’s needs are being met in some other way e.g. finding suitable services and help themselves
  • Share this information with the social worker
  • Contact Family Rights Group for independent advice about their specific situation, visiting our Parents forum is a good first step
  • Get some independent legal advice about their situation from a solicitor.
Do parents have a choice whether to have a child in need assessment? - Family Rights Group (2024)

FAQs

Do parents have a choice whether to have a child in need assessment? - Family Rights Group? ›

Child in need assessments are voluntary. This means that parents or carers do not have to agree to have an assessment. Remember, a child in need assessment aims to find out what extra help and services a child and their family need. It is about making sure a child has what they need to be healthy and develop well.

Can you say no to a child in Need Plan? ›

If parents or a young person of age of understanding, (particularly those aged 16 or 17) refuse the support offered under the proposed plan there will need to be further consideration as to the potential impact upon the child.

What determines a child in need? ›

Children in Need

A child in need is defined under the Children Act 1989 as a child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable level of health or development, or whose health and development is likely to be significantly or further impaired, without the provision of services; or a child who is disabled.

Should a child's family always be involved in the assessment process? ›

No matter which assessment tool you're using, involving families in gathering assessment information will make the most of their expertise—and ensure that you have the most complete picture of the child's skills and development. Families are a crucial source of information during early childhood assessment!

What is a parent needs assessment? ›

The Assessment provides a means for special education staff to understand the needs of the family during the transition period, and ultimately leads to a more effective education for the student with autism.

What is the purpose of a family assessment? ›

A family assessment is a professional forensic assessment undertaken to assist a court and/or the parties decide on parenting arrangements for children of separated parents or caregivers.

What happens in a child and family assessment? ›

The child and family assessment is the assessment used by children's social workers to understand the presenting issues and the impact on the child/ren in the context of the whole family. The assessment informs support and planning for the child/ren and their family.

How do you say no to family plans? ›

No need to be rude, just direct and with a bit of sweetness to acknowledge their interest in you. “Oh thanks for asking, that sounds great. But sorry, I can't.” Or, “I'm so glad to see you. I'm in the middle of something, so I can't let you in right now.

Can social services force you to end a relationship? ›

Child social services, also known as child protective services or similar agencies, generally do not have the authority to directly end a relationship between two consenting adults. Their primary focus is the well-being and safety of children.

What are the criteria for children in need? ›

The legal definition is that 'children in need' have been assessed by a social worker and found to need help and protection because of risks to their development or health, such as neglect, domestic abuse in the family, or because they are disabled.

What are the two factors that determine whether or not a child will receive services? ›

The two factors that determine whether or not a child will receive services are eligibility based on certain criteria, such as a diagnosed disability or developmental delay, and the assessment of the child's individual needs by a qualified professional.

What are four of the most basic needs that must be met with children? ›

Kids must feel safe and sound, with their basic survival needs met: shelter, food, clothing, medical care and protection from harm.

What is the role of parents in the assessment process? ›

They can participate in planning the assessment, take part in interviews, help gather information and test the child, and help determine whether the information collected is representative of their child's actual abilities. Family input can help you get a complete picture of the child's skills.

Who should be involved in the assessment of children? ›

All parents or care givers should be involved equally in the assessment and should be supported to participate whilst the welfare of the child must not be overshadowed by parental needs.

What are the goals of a family needs assessment? ›

FNA is a tool that evaluates or assess the needs of each family member, as well the strengths and capacities of parents to provide for them child emotionally and financially. This provides family members an opportunity to sit down and talk, allowing them to explore each other's unmet needs and hidden emotions.

What happens in a needs assessment? ›

A needs assessment isn't a test that someone can pass or fail. It's a chance to talk to a trained professional about getting support. The person being assessed can talk about any difficulties they have in looking after themselves, and how that affects them.

What is the needs assessment checklist? ›

Key Descriptions
  • The Needs Assessment Checklist consists of nine rehabilitation domains, each with specific indicators: ...
  • Scores are derived by summing sub-scale items; a “percentage achieved” is also calculated for each of the 9 sub-scale's ranging from 0-100% with higher scores indicating greater independence.
Jan 18, 2013

Why do children need to be assessed? ›

Why is assessment important? Assessment provides educators, parents, and families with critical information about a child's development and growth. Assessment can: Provide a record of growth in all developmental areas: cognitive, physical/motor, language, social-emotional, and approaches to learning.

How to score the family assessment device? ›

The FAD is scored by adding the responses (1-4) for each scale and dividing by the number of items in each scale (6-12). Higher scores indicate worse levels of family functioning. The FAD has been widely used in both research and clinical practice.

What questions to ask during family assessment? ›

Suggested Questions for Adults

How would you describe your child? Do you feel your child has behavioral problems? If so, describe the behaviors to me. Has the child been involved with Juvenile Court?

How long does it take to complete a child and family assessment? ›

Timescales of Assessment

This maximum timescale for review of progress is 10 working days from referral. A Child and Family Assessment should be completed within 45 working days from the date of the referral, or for open cases from the date the decision was made to undertake a Child and Family Assessment.

How long does a parent assess assessment take? ›

It is recommended that the assessment takes place over an eight to 12 week time-frame, depending on whether the parent needs to work at a slower pace. Usually there are six sessions with the parent, plus observations of the parent with their child.

What is included in a family assessment? ›

A Family Assessment is a meeting with an evaluator to gather important information regarding the family. The evaluator will interview the parents to identify whether there are areas of agreement, what issues are in dispute and whether there are parental concerns and parental fitness issues.

Which form of abuse is the biggest cause of a child needing protection? ›

Neglect is the ongoing failure to meet a child's basic needs and the most common form of child abuse2. A child might be left hungry or dirty, or without proper clothing, shelter, supervision or health care. This can put children and young people in danger.

Do children have the right to say no? ›

Allowing your child the right to say NO is an important developmental learning opportunity. We should not look at this as defiance and rejection of you as an authority figure. This is an important learning opportunity for a child for you to respect this right so they feel empowered.

What happens when you say no to a child? ›

But hearing the word no is important, too. According to Dr Markham, saying no to your child helps with setting boundaries and limits, which aid in their development — emotionally, physically and mentally. Never saying it, Dr Markham says, can leave children ill-equipped to deal with the real world.

When a child should no longer be under a child protection plan? ›

The decision to discontinue a child protection plan will normally be made by a Review conference. A child may no longer need a child protection plan if: the review conference judges that the child is no longer likely to suffer significant harm and no longer requires safeguarding by means of a child protection plan.

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