Assessing wellbeing, safety and risk
Children and families need to be provided with timely and effective assessment to determine the factors affecting the safety and wellbeing of their children.
Collaborative decision-making and sharing risk
Working with families, communities and other services to create a support team focused on a child’s safety is essential to create change and reduce risk. Recognising the diverse expertise of all the people in the child’s life and the important perspectives they bring is vital to family-led decision making, supported by a social and professional network.
Working as a supportive team with families, children and community partners will lead to better decisions, a shared understanding of risk, and more meaningful changes in the lives of children. When all relevant people are brought together to work as a team, ongoing assessment and casework will be more informed, holistic and effective in responding to the complex problems and barriers that children and families with vulnerabilities face.
Practitioners should consider regular opportunities to connect with interagency partners, through both formal and informal mechanisms. Respectful, regular communication is the essential element to a working alliance for children.