ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING

It is of great value to put the child/YP at the centre of assessment and planning. All children and young people academic, personal and social skills are developed to their full potential by providing them with rich learning experiences that reflect their needs, abilities and interests which enables them to achieve[1].Many children have many problems which they need some help in order to develop. These problems include:

a. Hearing problems: some children have hearing impaired. They need help to overcome this problem. Institutions need trained staff to recognise the influence of hearing impairment.

b. Speech problems: some children/young persons have speech problems which can affect them how they communicate. They need help to learn to communicate with other children and express their needs and wants.

c. Barriers to communication: The design of some buildings lack access for people who use wheel chairs, noise and lack of privacy. The first task of the institution is to identify the barriers.

d. Languages: This could isolate the child from other children if they have a different language to other children. This could also affect their learning. These could affect the way they interact with other children; they may speak to other children without becoming frustrated. The child’s home language must be valued. Those with different home languages need support to develop additional vocabulary which may be applied in the setting[2].

The above and many other things can only be achieved by the institution giving full recognition to the rights of children and young people in their care. It’s the institution’s responsibility to by provide and adopt own procedures and action plans to develop the quality of its work in respect by following the principles cited in ‘Every Child Matters’ and equality of opportunity[3].

Assessment tools are resources that are used in the support planning process to help build up a holistic picture of an individual’s needs and related circumstances. Once all the details are recorded, an assessment can be made, and suitable care and support can be identified[4].

The value of child centred assessment ensures a holistic view of the child, it is about the needs of the child and how it would benefit the child’s overall development, socially, emotionally, physically, intellectually and morally[5].

How to identify the needs of children and young people(think about the assessment that are in place to enable you do this effectively)

Children and young people needs can be identified through observation, talking to parents and families, social workers, GPs, teachers, visiting the school and seeking information from other agencies involved in the care of the children and young persons. Gathering information from others will enable an accurate assessment in meeting the needs for the C&YP.

Also the needs of the children and young person’s can be identified by receiving a client referral form from the social worker which will include all vital information about the child. The parents will also help in completing a THIS IS ME with a member of staff. This gives a pen picture of the child and young person’s likes, dislikes, needs, abilities, behaviour and temperament, communication methods, support needed and any additional needs. Then a risk assessment will be put in place from information gained and by continuous observation of the child or young person. Any of this information can be changed when necessary but it should be a policy to update these on a yearly basis[6].

Identifying children and young person’s needs sits within The Common Assessment Framework. A framework to help practitioners working with children, young people and families to assess children and young people’s additional needs for earlier, and more effective services, and develop a common understanding of those needs and how to work together to meet them[7].

Also identifying children and young person’s needs sits within a framework of other local and national policies and procedures to improve outcomes for children. Among them:
a). the children Act 2004

b).Every child matters
c).National service framework for children
d).What to do if you think a child is being abused
e).The breaks for carers for disabled children regulations 2010
f).The children’s plan 2007
g).Parenting support strategies
h).Child protection and
i).Local safeguarding children’s board procedures[8].

The importance of working with others to assess the needs of children and young people to inform planning (others being family, therapists, teachers, social workers etc.)

It is important to work with others as this is the best way to a help a child, if you have concerns about their development. Other agencies and professionals are able to provide extra support and expertise to assist you in planning for extra support and learning opportunities for these children. In this way all of the professionals are working together, information is shared and the best services are provided for the child, in line with the 5 positive outcomes under Every Child Matters. It also important to remember parental permission must always be sought before contacting outside agencies[9].

Working with others enables different services to join forces in order to prevent problems occurring in the first place. It is an effective way of supporting children, young people and families with additional needs and helping to share improved outcomes[10].They provide benefits for children and young people and families because they give tailor-made support in the most efficient way. The benefits include:

· Early identification of issues and intervention

· Easier or quicker access to services or expertise

· Improved achievement in education and better engagement in education

· Better support for parents

· Children, young people and family’s needs addressed more appropriately

· Better quality services[11].

The children Act 2004 clearly sets out the integrated children’s services agenda requiring agencies to work much closer with local communities to ensure a more seamless provision of service to children young people and their families’[12].The basic elements that call for working with others involve the following:
· Information sharing

· The common Assessment Framework(CAF)

· Lead practitioner

· Team around the child

· Localities[13].

The effective methods of ensuring participation and engagement of children and young people of all ages and levels of understanding in assessment planning.

It is important to place children and young people at the centre of their assessment and planning. This is because:

· Planning addresses real needs of child and takes into account individual age and stage of development, likes and dislikes, individual targets and Goals

· ensures all targets and goals are appropriate, fair;

· children are more interested in activities and experiences that are designed to be relevant to them specifically and therefore participate and learn more effectively

To ensure children participation and engagement, effective methods must be used. 1. Select a Setting: The setting for an intervention is where activities will occur. Select a setting that is convenient and comfortable for participants; ask them where they would like to meet. Also consider the type of intervention you are planning. Participation should be planed to take place in an appropriate Venue or location. The children or young person can participate by contributions through play. Children and young people to be involved in setting ground rules. Written contributions, contributions through pictures, individual learning styles, likes and dislikes, particular interests, activities and experiences are well planned, engaging and build on previous experience

2. This can also be done through permanency planning for children and young people: for example it provides opportunity for assessment of the child or young person’s needs and how best to meet those needs, takes into account the past and present circumstances of child or young person, enables effective plans to be made for long-term future of child or young person, gives child or young person a greater sense of security and belonging[14].

The importance of permanency planning for children and young people

Permanence is defined as a framework of emotional, physical and legal conditions that gives a child a sense of security, continuity, commitment and identity. Permanence for children and young people has three particular aspects:
1.    Legal permanence (ensuring whoever is caring for the child has parental responsibility or that there is somebody in a position to effectively exercise Parental Responsibility);
2.    Psychological permanence (when the child feels attached to an adult who provides a stable, loving and secure relationship.);
3.    Physical or environmental permanence (involves a stable home environment within a familiar neighbourhood and community which meets the child’s identity needs).

Permanence can be achieved in the following types of placements:

· Staying at home

· Placement with relatives, friends or other connected persons

· Adoption

· Fostering for adoption

· Long term fostering

· Long term residential care

Permanency Planning is necessary for looked-after children and young people who need plans made for their long-term future. It takes into account a child or young person's history and current situation, makes an assessment of the young person’s needs and how best to meet those needs in the future. Permanency planning should include the child or young person and relevant others in the decision making. It takes into account individual circumstances and the age, needs and abilities of the child or young person[15].

When completing or implementing an action plan for a child/young person explain how the goals and Targets identified within the plan can support the achievement of positive outcomes.

Action planning is a process which will help you to focus on ideas and to decide what steps you need to take to achieve particular goals in the action plan. An action plan is a statement of what a child need to achieve over a given period of time. Preparing an action plan is a good way to help the child reach their objectives in life[16].To achieve the desired goals and targets will involve liaising with colleagues and monitoring the impact of the agreed actions, strategies and interventions[17].

Goals in the action plan should be a broad statement of what the child need to achieve. By basing on the goals, you should be able to determine the specific things the child needs to do to achieve the goal. These are the objectives. Objectives should be measurable and attainable given the resources you have. They should tell how a child should achieve how much of what, where it should occur, and by when. Objectives are important because they clarify the tasks to be done and provide a means of tracking an intervention’s progress. If there are many objectives, consider grouping them by the type of outcome—health effects such as injuries or deaths; behaviours such as fighting, expulsions, or dropping out of school; or other aspects of the program. Presenting the objectives this way may make it easier for practioners, supporters, funders, and others to see what the child is trying to achieve.

Remember, your objectives are not static. They should be modified as new information becomes available, as resources change, or as activities proceed faster or more slowly than planned[18].

How to support a child or young person and others to understand and agree to the goals, targets and outcomes of the plan.

The Government's aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, is to have the support they need to: Be healthy, Stay safe, Enjoy and achieve, Make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. This entails organisations involved with providing services to children - from hospitals and schools, to police and voluntary groups - teaming up in new ways, sharing information and working together, to protect children and young people from harm and help them achieve what they want in life.[19]

A child or young person can be supported to understand and agree to the goals and targets and outcomes of an action plan by:

a) Interventions: This can be for example encouraging the child or young person to recognise where their own actions and attempts to communicate may be creating barriers, methods and techniques for responding to aggressive or challenging behaviour, modelling behaviour that respects rights and values people, individual counselling, group work, peer support, family interventions

b) Engagement with children or young people: This can be done by creating an environment where it is safe to talk openly and honestly about experiences and aspirations, employ active listening skills, use feedback, give supportive and realistic responses to questions, ideas, suggestions and concerns, remain non judgemental, be positive and encouraging, respond to the child or young person in a way that recognises and respects their rights

c) Review and amend action plan: This can be done by linking learning to other aspects of their lives, identify and celebrate achievements, deal with perceived failures, enable young people to identify any changes in needs and aspirations, amend action plan

d) Further interventions: For example through signposting, information sharing,

referring, working in partnership with others[20].

e) Engage with children or young people and their carers in expressing their

Needs and aspirations to inform planning. For example through focus groups,

feedback forms, ‘open time/drop in’ sessions, small-group activities,

Circle time activities, group council, feedback can be used to directly

Inform planning

f) Encourage a child or young person to plan realistic, achievable but

challenging goals. Goals and targets need to be appropriate and specific,

reflecting both age and stage of development; takes into account

resources and time available

g) By developing a plan with a child or young person and others to meet their

Needs with a focus on the achievement of positive outcomes. That is to say that goals and targets need to be realistic and appropriate; reflecting both age and

Stage of development; taking into account resources available and realistic timescales; child or young person involved in making decisions

about development of plan.