A parenting assessment can help answer specific questions about a parent’s ability to meet their child’s needs, manage risks and provide appropriate care.
In family court proceedings, the purpose of an assessment should be clear. Rather than simply asking whether someone is a “good parent”, an assessment may examine specific areas of parenting and safeguarding that are relevant to the child and the issues before the court.
Understanding these questions can help parents, solicitors, social workers and other professionals understand what a parenting assessment is intended to establish.
Parenting is a broad subject.
A parent may have strengths in some areas while experiencing difficulties in others. An assessment therefore needs to focus on the issues that matter to the individual child and family.
For example, the relevant question might concern whether a parent can safely supervise a young child, recognise safeguarding risks or maintain appropriate routines.
A focused assessment can provide more useful information than a general opinion about parenting.
The questions vary depending on the circumstances, but several common areas may be considered.
One fundamental question may be whether the parent can provide appropriate day-to-day care.
This can include consideration of:
The assessment should consider the child’s individual circumstances rather than applying a single standard to every family.
Children have different developmental, emotional and practical needs.
An assessment may therefore explore whether the parent understands their child’s:
Understanding a child’s needs can be particularly important where the child requires additional support.
Where safeguarding concerns are part of the case, the assessment may explore whether the parent can identify situations that could place the child at risk.
This could involve issues such as:
The assessment may also consider whether the parent understands how to reduce or manage those risks.
Recognising a risk is different from being able to take effective protective action.
An assessment may therefore consider whether a parent can put appropriate safeguards in place.
For example, this might involve establishing safe boundaries around particular people, seeking professional assistance or changing routines when circumstances create a risk to the child.
Where professionals have previously raised concerns, an assessment may explore how the parent understands those concerns.
This may include questions such as:
This does not necessarily mean that a parent must agree with every previous professional assessment.
The purpose is to understand their ability to reflect on relevant circumstances.
Where concerns have existed for some time, an assessment may consider whether circumstances have changed.
For example:
Evidence of change can be relevant, particularly where previous concerns are central to the proceedings.
Making a short-term improvement is not necessarily the same as maintaining that change.
An assessment may therefore consider whether improvements are likely to be sustained.
This can involve looking at the parent’s understanding of what has changed, the support available to them and how they respond when difficulties arise.
Parenting involves more than meeting physical needs.
An assessment may examine whether a parent can:
The relevance of these areas depends on the child and the circumstances of the case.
Children require boundaries that are appropriate to their age and development.
An assessment may consider whether the parent can establish consistent expectations without responses that are inappropriate or disproportionate.
This may be explored through discussion and, where appropriate, observation.
In some cases, the ability to work constructively with professionals may be relevant.
This could include communication with:
The question is not simply whether a parent agrees with professionals. It may instead concern whether they can communicate effectively and engage with appropriate support where necessary.
Family circumstances can involve competing pressures.
An assessment may consider whether the parent is able to prioritise the child’s welfare when making decisions.
For example, this could involve considering how the parent manages relationships, housing difficulties, employment pressures or other circumstances while maintaining the child’s safety and wellbeing.
Identifying a difficulty does not necessarily mean that the assessment has reached an overall negative conclusion.
The assessor may consider:
This helps create a more complete assessment of the situation.
No.
The assessment questions should be appropriate to the individual circumstances.
Where an assessment is being used as formal expert evidence, the Family Procedure Rules contain requirements concerning the scope and questions to be addressed by an expert. The court controls the use of expert evidence and may give directions regarding the questions an expert should answer.
There is no single question for every case. The assessment may examine whether a parent can safely and consistently meet the individual needs of their child.
No. Relevant strengths, protective factors and positive changes may also form part of the assessment.
Yes. Where safeguarding is relevant to the assessment, the parent’s understanding and management of risks may be considered.
No. An assessment provides information and analysis. The court makes decisions based on the evidence and applicable legal framework.
A parenting assessment can address a range of focused questions about parenting, safeguarding, child development, emotional needs, risk and capacity for change.
The most useful assessments are those that clearly identify the issues they are intended to address and examine those issues using relevant information and observations.
For a wider explanation of the assessment process, read our guide to Parenting Assessments and Family Court.
At Family Safeguarding Assessments (FSA), we understand the importance of keeping families together while ensuring the safety and well-being of children
