Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that vulnerable parents are supported while child needs and risk assessments are being undertaken.

The Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) statutory guidance is clear that local authorities should provide early help by identifying emerging problems and unmet needs of children and families.

It specifies that assessments should be focussed on the needs of the child and on the impact any services are having on the child. However, the guidance sets out that assessments should be holistic in their approach, addressing the child’s needs within their family and that they may result in support for parents and carers.

Post-qualifying standards for child and family practitioners emphasise the need for practitioners to be able to build relationships with children and their families and to communicate effectively and sensitively, working from a position of partnership during assessment whilst maintaining professional curiosity and authority.