Our friendly and supportive team understand that it might be quite daunting to attend a family assessment centre when you don’t know what to expect, so we’ve compiled answers to some of the questions we most frequently are asked by parents about our parenting assessments and family assessment centres.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Being a parent can bring the happiest moments in a person’s life, but for some people and for lots of different reasons, parenting can be difficult and you might have struggled. Concerns would have been raised by social services which has resulted in you having to have a parenting assessment, to assess your ability to care for your child and yourself, and to see if additional support is needed to help you provide a safe, healthy, and positive environment for your child to thrive.
A parenting assessment is a detailed report about your ability to keep your child safe, loved, nurtured and to meet the needs and development of your baby or child and also about looking after yourself too. A residential assessment placement takes place usually over 12 weeks and you will be observed on your ability as a parent to keep your child/baby safe from harm and to provide love, warmth, interaction, stimulation and care to form a strong and healthy attachment.
A residential family assessment is where the parenting assessment takes place and where the you, the parent would stay usually for 12 weeks, with your little one(s). These placements can be for a single mum or dad, and some centres can accommodate both parents.
Our experienced team will always make sure your baby or child is kept safe at all times and will always do what they can to support you.
All families will be provided with the same high standard of support you need to care for your child whatever your circumstances.
The team recognise being a parent can be hard and particularly with a new-born baby. They recognise that all parents are different, with different back grounds, experiences, and parenting styles. Veritas are there to ensure your baby is safe and to support you to in achieving positive change.
During your assessment, the team will help you to focus on your strengths- (what you do well), and tell you the areas you may need to develop further,(do better) whilst providing you with guidance, support and weekly feedback to talk about your progress.
The assessment reports are completed by the team who support you and they work with a specialist assessing social worker who will also work with you- and they oversee and prepare the final reports.
The final assessment report will be based on our observations of your parenting, evidenced based and our feedback and recommendations will indicate if further support or additional assessments are required. It is the Local Authority and court’s decisions to what happens next.
It is common that parents are worried when they arrive as the local authority or courts may have instructed an assessment to take place.
We understand as parents you might be anxious and therefore we will help you to settle in and each family will be assigned a ‘key person’ that will work with you and your assigned assessing social worker.
We feel it is important to develop a positive relationship and to work together with you throughout your assessment “We are here to help and support you.”
We encourage that on the day you arrive, an initial meeting will take place where the goals and targets to meet will be put into a family plan.
Every family will have a weekly planner with details of meetings, parenting sessions and appointments which you will be required to attend. These sessions are to help us to identify your current strengths and support you to develop your knowledge and care skills where they need developing further.
We need you to work with us to complete your sessions, listen to advice and support given, join in our parents meetings and have your say, ask for help and advice and work with the team to complete your assessment.
All babies and children are your responsibility, and the team are there to provide guidance and support, encouraging you to play, sing and interact with your child to encourage bonding and positive attachments.
The Veritas team are experienced in many areas and work together with the assessing social workers to meet the individual identified needs specific to you. Our team will support and provide guidance to all families making sure you fully understand the assessment process, to develop your parenting skills and to provide you with the best opportunity to demonstrate your ability to safely care for, and parent your child.