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Assessing Parental Capacity when there are Concerns about an Unborn Child: Pre‐Birth Assessment Guidance and Practice in England
Author(s) -
Lushey Clare J.,
Barlow Jane,
Rayns Gwynne,
Ward Harriet
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
child abuse review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1099-0852
pISSN - 0952-9136
DOI - 10.1002/car.2496
Subject(s) - safeguarding , judgement , harm , context (archaeology) , child protection , medicine , best practice , psychology , risk assessment , medical education , nursing , political science , social psychology , law , biology , paleontology , computer security , computer science
Assessment where there are concerns that an unborn child is likely to suffer significant harm is one of the most difficult tasks that social workers undertake; the legal and ethical context makes the process of assessment and intervention during this period complex. This paper explores pre‐birth assessment guidance and practice in England. Local safeguarding guidance in 147 English localities was accessed and analysed, and interviews were conducted with 22 practitioners involved in pre‐birth assessments. The findings showed that while most local safeguarding guidance was more detailed and explicit than the national guidance, legal and ethical issues were rarely addressed. Interview data showed that, in general, guidance to support social work assessments during the pre‐birth period was insufficient, and that few practitioners used standardised tools to aid assessment. Some practitioners regarded pre‐birth assessments as less urgent than cases involving infants/older children, thereby increasing delays in decision‐making. It is concluded that existing guidance and practice with regard to pre‐birth assessment are inadequate. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ‘Explores pre‐birth assessment guidance and practice in England’Key Practitioner Messages Existing guidance regarding pre‐birth assessment are inadequate with regards to providing practitioners with the necessary information about the assessment process or tools with which to undertake the assessment. Practitioners undertaking pre‐birth assessment should be provided with better training regarding the assessment process. There is a need for practitioners undertaking pre‐birth assessment to use standardised tools alongside professional judgement.‘Practitioners undertaking pre‐birth assessment should be provided with better training regarding the assessment process’