The Importance Of Caregiver's Menta Assessments For Children

The 397,600 children under 18 recorded as ‘in need’ are one of society’s most vulnerable groups as it is deemed that their health or development is in jeopardy (DfE, 2014). Disabled children are automatically included within the criteria, yet so too are those whose ‘health or development is, or is likely to be, significantly impaired, or they are unlikely, or lack the opportunity, to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health and development without Local Authority services’ (Children Act, 1989:c41:p3:s17). Children become labelled as ‘in need’ for various reasons, including teenagers who have left the family home following arguments or young carers who struggle doing ‘normal’ activities like attending school. However, according to Department for Education 47.2% of cases are due to concerns of abuse or neglect attributed to risk factors such as parental mental illness, substance misuse, disability or domestic violence; problems which statistics frequently demonstrate compounds caregiver’s …show more content…
The aim is keeping the focus on the child, but giving clear understanding of family life, particularly issues which impact upon the child, as well as elements which act as strengths to help the child. However to reflect individualism where everyone has different needs, thoughts and experiences, separate assessments must be undertaken for each child. The framework for assessments is a holistic evidence-based approach showing a balance outlook of the child’s world by concentrating on three key areas namely; child’s developmental needs, such as whether the child’s self-care skills reflect their age, parenting capacity, including the caregiver’s ability to respond with emotional warmth; and family and environmental factors, like housing and overcrowding (DOH,