Information for Professionals
This section is for professionals to understand the services that we offer at For-Families:
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What services do the placement provide
Here at For-Families we have a strong, experienced placement based Social Work team. Prior to arrival in the placement child/ren and parents will be allocated a Placement Social Worker.
Meetings are held with the Local Authority during the placement can be held either in person or virtually.
Our Social Worker will undertake the Placement Planning Meeting with the arriving Local Authority Social Worker and parent. Two further placement review meetings are held on week 1 and 2 to ensure Parent and baby have settled and we have suitable monitoring in place as we move towards the Mid-Way Review.
At week 7 our Social Worker will provide a detailed Mid-Way Review, which will give the Local Authority an indication of the trajectory of the placement at that time. The review will provide the parent a clear understanding of their development over the course of the placement, and where concerns remain. It will be clear to the parent what they need to achieve to reduce the Local Authority worries and how as a placement we will support them to evidence this.
At week 11 the placement Social Worker will hold a Transition/Extension meeting to ascertain the Local Authorities intentions as we move towards the end of the placement.
At the beginning week 13 the Final CUBAS Assessment will be shared with the Local Authority; leaving the remaining of the week for transition work to be completed, including safety planning should the parent and child be returning to the community.
Our Social Workers are available to the parents, support staff team and the Local Authority during the week. Our out of hours service, which operates 24/7 is provided by our Social Work and management team.
Our Social Workers write a detailed weekly report, which assess the parents' capacity for change and gives a clear insight into how the placement is progressing, both for the Local Authority but also for the parent.
Our weekly reports assess and explore;
Health
Basic and Emotional Care
Child Safety Awareness
Guidance, Boundaries and Routines
Stimulation
Maintaining a positive home environment
Independence skills
Parental Presentation
Substance Use
Relationships
Contact
Support Networks
Engagement with Professionals.
As parents undertake a learning style’s assessment within the first week, each weekly report is written at a level that best suits the reader. Parents are provided with the time and space to read their report independently, or alongside the placement Social Worker. Parents are encouraged to participate and add their comments to the end of each report, before it is shared with the Local Authority. Encouraging parental participation will enable parents to build the skills required to work collaboratively with the Local Authority and future professionals such as schools and health professionals.
Every person in the placement is valued and receives positive care and support to develop
their parenting and life skills.
Type of Assessments
All of our assessments are written by qualified Social Workers.
Our parenting assessments are written using the CUBAS model. The CUBAS model is a dynamic and comprehensive assessment providing a full evaluation of a parents’ capacity in a user-friendly, digestible format. It highlights areas of strength and challenge.
The CUBAS approach meaningfully engages parents in the processes; encourages insight and recognition of their children’s needs. In addition to measuring knowledge and skills, CUBAS identifies strengths, unmet needs and residual risks, and support requirements.
The final parenting assessment is shared to the Local Authority at the beginning of week 13. We know it may take time for this to be shared with parents, as such we also provide each parent being assessed a separate CUBAS parent report which enables us to relay the assessment quickly and succinctly in a format they can understand.
The CUBAS model assesses;
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Cognition issues
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Parental emotional mental health
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Parental physical health
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Parental experiences and needs
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Understanding of children’s needs
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Any drug/alcohol use
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Adult attachments
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Relationships
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Domestic conflicts
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Criminality
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Support networks
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Other environmental issues
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Parental insights
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Parental attitudes
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Honesty
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Receptivity
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Engagement
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Motivation
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Capacity for change
In collaboration with the CUBAS model we address the Letter of Instruction, use the Cycle of Change and Assessment of Good enough parenting models
Able to offer placement for the duration of the Court process if required
Please contact the placement for full details on 01243 956385 or email us.
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Or email us for a Service Pack.
OFSTED - Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: good
Children benefit from an effective assessment process, which places their safety, welfare and development needs at the centre of all the work that the staff do.
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Careful thinking goes into the progress and experiences that children and parents have and, as a result, transitions into and away from the centre are very well managed. Staff are committed to ensuring that parents are involved in their transition plans. Staff learn from planned admissions and work towards ensuring
that the experience is positive for all families. Families experience a special meal to mark their moving on.
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