Recommendations Of The Bromley Serious Case Review The WritePass Journal

Recommendations Of The Bromley Serious Case Review Abstract Recommendations Of The Bromley Serious Case Review ). This principle is also set out in the Family Law Reform Act 1995. The Family Law Act 1975 was amended to include the legal principle that the childs best interest be regarded as paramount in any litigation concerning child upbringing (Family Law Council 2004). This principle would be at the heart of the assessment process. That is, the welfare of the child would be given paramount consideration and a checklist of factors would be considered before reaching a decision on whether or not to place the child under protection programs. Fig.1 Genogram illustrating the strength of family relationships (DH 2008) A genogram can be used to illustrate the strength of the family relationships. That is, how close or far apart the family members are, how flexible they are and how well they respond to each others needs. Fig.3 Ecomap showing the relationship between the child with immediate family, wider kin and the community An ecomap can also be drawn to illustrate the relationship of the child with immediate family, the wider kin and the community at large. The centre of focus will be the child as shown in fig.2 To indicate the strength of the relationship, I would used different types of lines as shown below: Assessments relating to Adults in the family But conducting assessments from the viewpoint of the child is important for safeguarding and ensuring developmental needs of the child, it would only be fair and ethical for assessments to be conducted with due regard for the needs of all family members. Assessments relating to the adults in the family should have been done as well in Bromley Special Case Review. It should be noted that neglectful families do not just exist in a vacuum. A number of factors can contribute to parents maltreatment of their children including factors such as lack of community support, society characteristics, deprived neighbourhoods, family stress, domestic violence, parents childhood and developmental history and many other factors (DePanfilis 2006). Parents views with regard to issues of child protection concerns have been well documented. In their study of short-term accommodation, Aldgate Bradley (1999) found that parents were reluctant to seek for support from social services due to fears of: Losing their children to child protection enquiries Being perceived failed parents (DOH 2000) Whilst parents may be in need of help and support from social services, the fear of losing their children to child protection agencies and being seen as failed parents deter them from seeking the much needed support. They want help but not at the cost of forfeiting their parental responsibilities (DOH 2000) It is also important to understand the role played by the wider family in providing support. Sometimes, extended families may not provide the much needed support or may be caught up in their own problems (Trevithick 2000). Additionally, parents may not wish to acknowledge to their wider kin about the problems facing them. It is difficult for people seeking help to state their needs especially when these needs are tangled amid feelings of confusion, humiliation, fear and despair (Trevithick 2000). Similarly, it would be necessary to assess the role played by the community in providing practical and emotional support to the family. Social workers must chart both the relationship of parents with the wider kin and their current wider connections to their communities. The absence of physical and emotional support limits the adults sense of wellbeing and control (DH 2008). There is also need to consider the impact that environment may have on parental capacity. This is a factor which has been given little consideration in social work. The concerns over the omission of environmental considerations in sociological research have been noted by Jack (1997) and Stevenson (1998). However, research studies have shown that children living in economically deprived neighbourhoods are the most affected, often with deterioration in their health and poor educational development (DH 2008). Environmental considerations have an impact on both the children and the young adults’ ability to succeed as effective parents. Social isolation from the community combined with lack of support from extended families and deprived neighbourhoods can adversely impact on parents mental and physical health. As a social worker in Bromley case, I would have also conducted an assessment relating to the adults in the family. The assessment would focus on the needs of the family and how these needs impact on their parenting behaviour. A key distinguishing factor between this assessment with that of the child is that it looks at the relationships between the adults in the family, the extended family and wider community, and examines how this impacts on their parenting capacity (Parker Bradley 2000). Also, the focus of assessment is mainly on the adult. The assessment examines the needs of the adult and whether these needs have been met. The legal basis that guides this assessment comprise of a range of legislations such as The Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996, NHS, Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 and subsequent statutory guidance (Parker Bradley 2000). On the other hand, the legal basis guiding the assessment relating to children is The Children Act 1989 and Subsequent Statutory guidance. How I would conduct assessments with due regards to needs of all family members To ensure that all the family members are involved, it would be necessary to use a structured interview protocol. This would ensure thorough gathering of information, accuracy of information gathered, and an increase in staff control over the assessment process. Most importantly, the involvement of all family members would ensure that the assessment is done with due regards for the needs of all the family members. As such, face to face interviews would be conducted in the following order: First, with the child Second, with siblings interviews with adult caretakers Interviews with the parent who is alleged to have maltreated the child And finally, with the family as a whole Interviewing the identified child The interview with the child will seek to gather information about the child maltreatment and assess the childs immediate safety needs. Information collected at this point include: the childs explanation, the childs current conditions, severity of the maltreatment, effects such as fear and extreme withdrawal, the childs characteristics, and the child’s perception of their relationship with parents and others in the household (NDHHS 2005). Interview with siblings After interviewing the child, I would then conduct an interview with the siblings and other children in the household. The purpose is to determine whether these children have also experienced maltreatment and to assess their level of vulnerability. Interviewing the caretakers This will be followed by an interview with the custodians or rather the caretakers. At this stage, I would seek the caretakers personal opinion about the childs vulnerability to maltreatment and determine the parents capacity to protect the child. Information gathered from the interview include: the approach to and view of parenting, relationship with the children, methods used to discipline the children, relationships with extended family, view of supports from the wider community and the climate of the neighbourhood (Holland 2004). Interview with the alleged maltreating parent This is yet another crucial point of the assessment process. The abusive parent will be interviewed to check and get a confirmation from them whether allegations of maltreatment did actually occur. Information gathered from the interview with the parent would include: the parents view of the child, his/her explanations about the alleged maltreatment, the parents response to the incident, the approach to parenting, relationship with the children, and relationship with the wider kin and the community (NDHHS 2005).   Close interviews with family Having completed the interviews, I would convene the family and share with them a summary of my findings, seek their individual responses, show appreciation of their participation, and discuss key concerns raised about the child maltreatment. With the interviews with the participants completed, I would then analyze the information collected for purposes of making informed decisions. Analysis of information gathered relating to the adults I would examine whether the family has been benefiting from ‘direct payments’ as provided for under The Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996. This act bestows power to the local authority to make direct cash payments to individuals who are in need of care as opposed to providing those persons community care services (Glasby Littlechild 2009). It is expected that these individuals use the money to secure themselves the services that they need. The service is provided by the government as a means of self-directed support to increase autonomy and independence of people (Duffy 2007). Specific issues that I would considered in the review   Has the family been receiving direct payments from the government as provided for under The Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996? Is there a clear evidence of significant harm to the child? Given that the father suffered from epilepsy, did the medical condition hinder his parenting ability and did he receive support from the extended family? Did the agencies involved identify the needs of the family and did they seek to address these needs by providing them with the much needed support? What is the relationship between the parents and the community? And how has isolation and lack of community support adversely affected their parenting capacity? How has the neighbourhood impacted on the parents mental and physical health? Were the wishes and feelings of the adults in the family considered and adequately addressed? Were appropriate care plans to support parenting capacity put in place by the agencies involved? What could have been the outcome if these parents had received support from the extended families and community at large? Do assessments appear to have been reached in an informed and professional way having had due regards for the needs of all family members? A focus of the assessment on the adults in the family does not imply that the problem of child maltreatment has been forgotten. This family focused approach is to ensure the best outcome for both the child and adults in the family. The principles of family focused practice affirm the primary importance of ensuring the child’s well-being and recognizing the mutual significance of the child and the family (Kendall et al. 2010). I would then think of interventions that will serve the interests of both the children and adults in the family. A range factors can be used to select the appropriate intervention. Among these factors is the appropriate application of social work methods developed from psychosocial theories (DH 2008). These methods include family therapy, cognitive behavioural work, crisis intervention, psychosocial casework, task-centred casework and counseling among many others (DH 2008).   The choice of the method would be influenced by the knowledge of what works under particular circumstances. Fig.1 developmental and ecological perspective of child maltreatment (DH 2008) Another important dimension that I would consider in the assessment is the decision whether to place the child in protection program or to have the child looked after at home. Should the decision be made for the child to be placed in protective custody, I would consider factors surrounding placement including plans for adoption or reunification (DOH 2000). Conclusion Whilst concerns about a childs health and development remains a core professional activity of social care agencies, these agencies have not always acted in the best interest of the child. A prime example of this can be seen with the Serious Case Review in Bromley which revealed a significant neglect of two boys despite the involvement of various agencies. The review found that agencies had overlooked the possibility that the boys might suffer physical harm. Based on the assessment, it was recommended that processes of assessment and reviews be always informed by attempts to understand the situation from the viewpoint of the child. But as we have seen, assessments should be conducted with due regard to the needs of all family members. Assessments should be conducted in relation to the children in the family and adults as well. An evidence based approach that involves identifying, gathering and using the evidence to support and evaluate the given approaches to assessment should be taken. Interventions that serve the interests of both the parents and the children should be implemented. Interventions can take the form of therapy, cognitive behavioural work, crisis intervention, psychosocial casework, task-centred casework and counseling among many others.   The choice of intervention is influenced by the knowledge of what works under particular circumstances. Reference Aldgate, J. and Bradley, M., 1999. Supporting Families through Short Term Fostering. The Stationery Office, London. Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board (BSAB), 2011. Bromley Serious Case Review Protocol. Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board. BSAB, 2011. Child D and Child B:   A Serious Case Review. Bromley Safeguarding Adults Board Department of Health (DH), 2000. Assessing Children in Need and their Families: Practice Guidance. TSO Department of Health (DH), 2007, Putting People First. TSO Department of Health (DH), 2008. Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities: a caring system on your side, a life of your own.   Department of Health. DePanfilis, D., 2006. Child neglect: a guide for prevention, assessment and intervention. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Duffy, S., 2007. ‘Care Management and Self Directed Support’. Journal of Integrated Care Volume 15 (5) Family Law Council, 2004. The Child Paramountcy Principle in the Family Law Act. Discussion paper Glasby, J. and Littlechild, R., 2009. Direct Payments and Personal Budgets: Putting Personalisation Into Practice. Bristol: Policy Press Holland, S., 2004. Children and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice. Sage publications Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association (Ifapa), 2010. The child abuse assessment: a guide for foster parents. Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association. Jack, G., 1997. ‘An Ecological Approach to Social Work with Children and Families’. Child and Family Social Work. 2: 109–120. Kendall, S., Rodger, J. and Palmer, H., 2010. The use of whole family assessment to identify the needs of families with multiple problems. Department for Education Laming, H., 2003. The Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report.. London. TSO Millner,J. and Byrne, 2010. Assessment in Social Work. 3rd edition. Palgrave Nebraska Department of Health and Human services (NDHHS), 2005. Initial assessment guide book, Nebraska Department of Health and Human services NSPCC, 2012. An introduction to child protection legislation in the UK. NSPCC Parker,J. and Bradley, G., 2000. Social Work Practice- Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review. Learning Matters Sharkey, P., 2006. The essentials of community care: a guide for practitioners. London: Palgrave Smale, G. and Tuson, G., 1993. Assessment, Care Management the Skilled Worker. Macmillan Stevenson, O., 1998. Neglected Children: Issues and Dilemmas. Blackwell Science, Oxford. Trevithick, P., 2000. Social Work Skills: A Practice Handbook. OPU White, A., 2005. Assessment of parenting capacity. Centre for Parenting Research