challenges and opportunities for critical analysis in assessment
TRANSCRIPT
Collection of information
Supporting judgements
Making decisions
Good assessment: unfocused, directionless, potentially dangerous practice
Processing information, i.e.SynthesisingAnalysingEvaluatingConcluding
WHAT IS THE ASSESSMENT FOR?
Provide an understanding of why the assessment is being done and what you’re expecting to get out of it
(- your aims and objectives).
Be specific about the child’s needs
Be clear about the consequences or risks if the child’s needs are not met
WHAT IS THE STORY?
Demonstrate an understanding of the family’s history and context
Include an account of what you don’t know yet
Adopt an open mind and questioning approach – uncertainty
WHAT DOES THE STORY MEAN? Show your working out ( - assessment tools)
Make sure the assessment is structured in such a way that the recommendations follow on clearly from the information obtained
Be succinct, concise and relevant
?
?
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN? Be clear about your concerns and the
reasons behind your concerns
Make explicit the underpinning knowledge and evidence that have informed your argument and decisions
Be clear about whether judgements are based on your own observations or research evidence, or both
Be clear about the short- and long-term risks for the child if identified needs are not met
VALUES - Balance of rights and needs; awareness of discrimination
REASONING SKILLS – critical reflection; appraisal of risks and benefits
EMOTIONAL WISDOM – emotional impact of work on self and others
PRACTICE WISDOM – wisdom-informed skills from day-to-day experience and training
FORMAL KNOWLEDGE – law, theories, policies, procedures, research evidence
SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES
curiosity open-mindedness manage uncertainty and not knowing question one’s own as well as others’
assumptions hypothesise self-awareness observation skills problem-solving skills synthesise and evaluate information from a
range of sources creativity present one’s thoughts clearly, both verbally
and in writing
TYPES OF INFORMATION THAT INFORM ASSESSMENT
Vivid rather than dull
Concrete rather than abstract
Emotional-laden rather than neutral
Recent rather than in the past
First impressions
INTUITION: ‘Immediate apprehension/insight without reasoning’.
ANALYSIS: ‘The resolution or breaking up of anything complex into various simple elements’.
(Oxford English Dictionary)
‘Examination of an issue, problem, topic or situation that goes beyond describing it and includes (one or more of) theories, thoughts, opinions and judgements’.
(Oxford Dictionary of Social Work)
INTUITIVE THINKING ANALYTICAL THINKING
Quick Slow
Reactive Deliberate
Unconscious Awareness of thinking
Thinking widely about
a lot of information
Concentrating on a few key issues
TOOLS TO ASSIST IN ANALYSIS
Chronologies
Genograms
Cultural review tool
Culturagrams
Decision trees
Critical decision tool
Resilience and vulnerability matrix
Discrepancy matrix
Signs of safety
CULTURAL REVIEW TOOL
What do I know about individuals and families with this particular cultural background or life experience? Where does my knowledge come from? What prejudices may I hold (positive or negative)? What do I know about/expect of children of these ages, their lives and needs? What might surprise me about this family and why would it be a surprise? How might this family/parent/children perceive me? How might the assessment and my agency be perceived? What impact might the assessment have on the family's life? What agency norms and practice do I take with me on an assessment? (For example, thresholds of 'good enough parenting‘)
What decision is to be made?
What options are there?
What information is needed to help me make the choice?
What are the likely/possible consequences of each option?
How probable is each consequence?
What are the pros and cons (desirability) of each consequence?
The final decision.
DECISION-MAKING TREE
5 types of discrepancy
Informational: there is contradictory information about a child/parent from different agencies.
Interpretative: different conclusions are drawn from the same information by different professionals.
Interactive: the parents’ declared intentions are contradicted by actions.
Incongruent: the parental manner or the way they talk about their child is inconsistent, contradictory or incoherent.
Instinctual: the worker’s gut feeling suggests that something is wrong but they cannot specify what.
Indications or clues about the existence of such discrepancies can occur at organisational, inter-agency, family and practitioner levels.
Critical, Analytical And Reflective Thinking In Assessment
Rigorous and systematic thinking;
Range of resources and approaches
Procedures and toolkits are not a substitute for thinking and professional judgement;
Individual /personal factors can constrain thinking and impact on decision-making;
Systemic factors can damage the ability of the individual practitioner to think
Good supervision can support the development of analytical, critical and reflective thinking in practice