CHALLENGES AND

OPPORTUNITIES FOR CRITICAL

ANALYSIS IN ASSESSMENT
 Good assessment: unfocused,
directionless, potentially dangerous
practice

Supporting
Collection
judgements
of
information Processing information, Making
i.e.
Synthesising decisions
Analysing
Evaluating
Concluding
 WHAT IS THE ASSESSMENT FOR?

 Provide an understanding of why the

assessment is being done and what you’re
expecting to get out of it
(- your aims and objectives).

 Be specific about the child’s needs

 Be clear about the consequences or risks

if the child’s needs are not met
 WHAT IS THE STORY?

 Demonstrate an understanding
of the family’s history and
context

 Include an account of what you don’t know

yet

 Adopt an open mind and questioning

approach – uncertainty
 WHAT DOES THE STORY MEAN?

? ?
 Show your working out
( - assessment tools)

 Make sure the assessment is structured in

such a way that the recommendations follow
on clearly from the information obtained

 Be succinct, concise and relevant

 WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN?

 Be clear about your concerns and the reasons

behind your concerns

 Make explicit the underpinning knowledge and

evidence that have informed your argument
and decisions

 Be clear about whether judgements are based

on your own observations or research
evidence, or both

 Be clear about the short- and long-term risks

for the child if identified needs are not met
 HOW WILL WE KNOW WE ARE
MAKING PROGRESS?

Outcomes and changes should be visible

VALUES - Balance of rights and needs; awareness
of discrimination
REASONING SKILLS – critical reflection;
appraisal of risks and benefits

EMOTIONAL WISDOM – emotional impact of work

on self and others

PRACTICE WISDOM – wisdom-informed skills from

day-to-day experience and training

FORMAL KNOWLEDGE – law, theories, policies,

procedures, research evidence
 SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

 curiosity
 open-mindedness
 manage uncertainty and not knowing
 question one’s own as well as others’ assumptions
 hypothesise
 self-awareness
 observation skills
 problem-solving skills
 synthesise and evaluate information from a
range of sources
 creativity
 present one’s thoughts clearly, both verbally and
in writing
 TYPES OF INFORMATION THAT
INFORM ASSESSMENT

 Vivid rather than dull

 Concrete rather than abstract

 Emotional-laden rather than neutral

 Recent rather than in the past

 First impressions
video
INTUITION: ‘Immediate
apprehension/insight without
reasoning’.

ANALYSIS: ‘The resolution or breaking up of

anything complex into various simple elements’.

(Oxford English Dictionary)

‘Examination of an issue, problem, topic or

situation that goes beyond describing it and
includes (one or more of) theories,
thoughts, opinions and judgements’.

(Oxford Dictionary of Social Work)

INTUITIVE THINKING ANALYTICAL
THINKING

Quick Slow

Reactive Deliberate

Unconscious Awareness of thinking

Thinking widely about Concentrating on a few

a lot of information key issues
 TOOLS TO ASSIST IN ANALYSIS

Chronologies

Genograms

Cultural review tool

Culturagrams

Decision trees

Critical decision tool

Resilience and vulnerability matrix

Discrepancy matrix

Signs of safety
 CULTURAL REVIEW TOOL

What do I know about individuals and families with this particular cultural
background or life experience?

Where does my knowledge come from?

What prejudices may I hold (positive or negative)?

What do I know about/expect of children of these ages, their lives and

needs?

What might surprise me about this family and why would it be a

surprise?

How might this family/parent/children perceive me?

How might the assessment and my agency be perceived?

What impact might the assessment have on the family's life?

What agency norms and practice do I take with me on an assessment?

(For example, thresholds of 'good enough parenting‘)
CULTURAGRAM
 DECISION-MAKING TREE
What decision is to be made?

What options are there?

What information is needed to help me make the

choice?

What are the likely/possible consequences of each

option?

How probable is each consequence?

What are the pros and cons (desirability) of each

consequence?

The final decision.

Critical
Decision
Tool
Resilience/
Vulnerability
Matrix
 5 types of discrepancy

Informational: there is contradictory information about a child/parent from

different agencies.

Interpretative: different conclusions are drawn from the same information by

different professionals.

Interactive: the parents’ declared intentions are contradicted by actions.

Incongruent: the parental manner or the way they talk about their child is
inconsistent, contradictory or incoherent.

Instinctual: the worker’s gut feeling suggests that something is wrong but they
cannot specify what.

Indications or clues about the existence of such discrepancies can occur at

organisational, inter-agency, family and practitioner levels.
DISCREPANCY MATRIX
 Critical, Analytical And Reflective Thinking In
Assessment

Rigorous and systematic thinking;

Range of resources and approaches

Procedures and toolkits are not a substitute for thinking and

professional judgement;

Individual /personal factors can constrain thinking and

impact on decision-making;

Systemic factors can damage the ability of the individual

practitioner to think

Good supervision can support the development of analytical,

critical and reflective thinking in practice