Understanding Children's Development within Needs Assessments and Safeguarding Contexts with reference to The Children Act 1989, Vulnerability and Risk.

1. Vulnerability
And
Developmental
Needs
Nathan Loynes

3. Section 17 of the Children Act 1989
“Provision of services for children in
need”
It shall be the general duty of every Local Authority:
• to safeguard and promote the welfare of children
within their area who are in need; and
• so far as is reasonably consistent with that duty,
to promote the upbringing of such children by
their families, by providing a range and level of
services appropriate to those children’s needs.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/section/17

4. s.17 (10)For the purposes of this Part a
child shall be taken to be in need if—
• (a)he is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or to have the
opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable
standard of health or development without the
provision for him of services by a local authority under
this Part;
• (b)his health or development is likely to be significantly
impaired, or further impaired, without the provision
for him of such services; or
• (c)he is disabled
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/section/17

5. The Children Act s.17(11)
• (11)For the purposes of this Part, a child is disabled if
he is blind, deaf or dumb or suffers from mental
disorder of any kind or is substantially and
permanently handicapped by illness, injury or
congenital deformity or such other disability as may be
prescribed; and in this Part—
• “development” means physical, intellectual,
emotional, social or behavioural development; and
• “health” means physical or mental health.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/section/17

6. Types of services provided by the local
authority
• Advice, guidance and
counselling;
• Care or supervised
activities;
• Home help;
• Holiday (respite care);
• Occupational, social,
cultural and
recreational activities;
• Provision of family
accommodation;
• Financial help;
• Maintenance of the
family home.
http://www.childrenslegalcentre.com/userfiles/Local%20authority%20duties%20towa
rds%20children.pdf

8. Risk!
Risk!
Risk!
Risk!
Risk!
Risks are all around us.

9. Risk!
Risk!
Risk!
Risk!
Risk!
Our stage of development will determine what
might be considered a risk or not. Our stage of
development makes us vulnerable or not.

10. Risk!
Risk!
Risk!
Risk!
Risk!
Older children have different vulnerbilities to
younger children. However, older children are still
vulnerable by virtue of their stage of development.

11. Hence, the child’s vulnerabilities are
understood in relationship to the
context/environment in which they live
http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~siegler/
35bronfebrenner94.pdf
Bronfenbrenner’s
Ecological Theory
of Human
Development
(1979)

12. Bronfenbrenner’s
model In relation to
risks and vulnerability

13. So… What ARE these
‘risks’ to children, and
what makes them
vulnerable?

14. Parental factors:
• Parent has already abused a child
• Pregnancy was not wanted
• Parent has a background of abuse when growing up
• Young, unsupported mother often with low education
• Parents have unrealistic expectations of the child and
lack parenting knowledge
• Parent is isolated and has few supports
• Parent has a mental illness or is abusing drugs or
alcohol
Source: http://www.childmatters.org.nz/57/learn-about-child-abuse/risk-factors

15. Environmental factors:
• Overcrowding in the house
• Poverty or lack of opportunity to improve the
family’s resources
• Family violence is present
• A non biological adult living in the house
• Family is experiencing multiple stresses
Source: http://www.childmatters.org.nz/57/learn-about-child-abuse/risk-factors

16. Child factors:
• Baby is sickly, colicky or unwanted
• Child has a physical or developmental
disability
• Child is the product of an abusive relationship
• Lack of attachment between child and parent
Source: http://www.childmatters.org.nz/57/learn-about-child-abuse/risk-factors

17. How do we ‘assess’ children’s
developmental needs?
The Child’s World ‘Jan Horwath’ ()

19. How do we ‘assess’ children’s
developmental needs?

20. Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need
and their Families (Department of Health, 2000)
http://www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/appendix-4.html

21. Child’s Developmental Needs

22. Child’s Developmental Needs
1. Health
2. Education
3. Emotional & Behavioural
Development
4. Family and Social Relationships
5. Social Presentation
6. Self care Skills

23. Parenting Capacity

24. Parenting Capacity
1. Basic Care
2. Ensuring Safety
3. Emotional Warmth
4. Stimulation
5. Guidance and Boundaries
6. Stability

25. Family and Environmental Factors

26. Family and Environmental Factors
1. Family history and functioning
2. Wider family
3. Housing
4. Employment
5. Income
6. Family’s social integration
7. Community resources

28. The ‘DoH Assessment’ has been criticised as
operating from a ‘deficit’ model – Focus is unbalanced
upon what families cannot do, rather than what they
can do…
Warning: We must not forget
parmountcy, risk and harm!!!

29. When we think about the situation facing this family:
What are we Worried
About?
What’s Working Well? What Needs to
Happen?
On a scale of 0 to 10 where 10 means everyone knows the children are safe
enough for the child protection authorities to close the case and zero means
things are so bad for the children they can’t live at home, where do we rate this
situation?
(If different judgements place different people’s number on the continuum).
0 10
Signs of Safety Approach (Turnell, 2010)
An alternative model has developed http://www.signsofsafety.net/signs-of-safety/

30. Conclusions:

31. Risk!
NEEDS
Environment
Hence, when we are assessing potential harm
we are considering multiple perspectives on

32. Risk!
NEEDS
Environment

33. Risk!
NEEDS
Environment

34. Risk!
NEEDS
Environment

35. Risk!
NEEDS
Environment

36. References
• http://www.childmatters.org.nz/57/learn-about-child-abuse/risk-factors
<accessed 09/10/15>
• http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/section/17 <accessed
09/10/15>
• http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~siegler/35bronfebrenner94.pdf <accessed
09/10/15>
• http://www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/appendix-4.html <accessed
09/10/15>
• http://www.signsofsafety.net/signs-of-safety/ <accessed 09/10/15>