Decisions about what actions to take and what services to offer should be based on evidence about what is likely to work best to bring about good outcomes for the child in the light of the evidence of the child’s needs, and the parental capacity to respond to those needs within their family and environmental context. Particular attention should be given to family history, e.g. parental domestic violence, mental illness, drug and substance abuse and/or learning disability and present and past family functioning.
Interventions should specifically address:
- The developmental needs of the child, including their health and educational needs
- Any therapeutic needs of the child
- The child’s understanding of what has happened and their views about what should happen in the future
- The quality of the relationship between the child and the abusing caregiver
- The ability of the protective caregiver to protect the child
- The relationship between the adult caregivers and how they function as adults and parents
- Any parental behaviours/conditions that present a risk to the child
- The adult’s parenting skills and the quality of the attachment between the caregivers and the child
- Any changes needed to the family’s social and environmental circumstances
If a child cannot be cared for safely within the family home whilst interventions are undertaken, it may be necessary for the child to be placed elsewhere whilst the work is undertaken with the child and family. The plan should include the intention of the child returning home within a timescale that is appropriate for the child once sufficient changes have taken place to assure the provision of safe care within the family home.
If however the timescale for the child is not compatible with the timescale needed or being taken by the adult to make the changes necessary to care safely for the child, it may be necessary to consider placement of the child in an alternative family context on a long term basis.
Ref:
Working Together 2010 Chapter 5 Para 5.128 – 135
GOOD PRACTICE GUIDANCE:-
Intervention
The following questions should be considered:
- What might help support strengths?
- What might help meet the child’s identified unmet needs
- What might address known vulnerabilities and risk factors?
- What resources are available?
- With which agency or professional and with which approach is the family most likely to co-operate?
- What will give immediate benefit and what might take more time to produce benefits?
- In what order should interventions take place and why?
- What is the likelihood of achieving sufficient change within timescales that are appropriate for the child?
