Justice For Families

Where the common assessment framework is failing
By Adam McCulloch on August 9, 2009 11:36 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
by Steve Rogowski

The common assessment framework is a threat to the identity of social work and has exposed the failings inherent in joint working

The common assessment framework (CAF) was introduced in the hope that the majority of children with additional needs could be dealt with by schools, child care providers, children's centres, health services and the voluntary sector. The stated aim was to improve inter-agency working with such children and avoid families having to repeat themselves to various agencies.

But as always, the focus has been on assessment rather than direct help for children and families. For many, CAFs are an administrative burden that fails to guarantee the provision of any additional services. They simply increase the level of paperwork and consequently the time spent away from direct work with children and their families. Parents often find the CAF meetings as bewildering and, again, a form-filling exercise.

Fobbing off
In addition, many health visitors and teachers do not see it as part of their role to complete these forms. When they contact a social worker, they usually do not want to be simply told to "fill in the CAF form". One headteacher repeatedly tells me that if CAFs have to be done they should be the task of social workers. The latter should not, she adds, be "fobbing off" this role to them.
The use of CAFs can also be seen as the voluntary liquidation of a social work identity. Essentially, CAFs are about what traditional, preventive social work was all about (and in the past it was far more likely that actual services would be provided to meet needs). If others, like the aforementioned health visitors and teachers are to take on this role, what remains for social work with children and families? At best it would leave only child protection and safeguarding cases. But if this were to be the scenario, would there be a need for so many social workers, or even social work itself, because the police could deal with such situations.

Time to step back
As is usually the case with what now happens in social work, we should step back and question much of what comes from, and is then enforced by, the powers-that-be: namely policymakers and service managers. Like changes in relation to other professions, attempts to move things forward should emanate from, or at least include, the views of social workers themselves rather than being imposed from above.

Steve Rogowski is a children and families social worker at a local authority in north west England No TrackBacks
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Interesting article and one of the first by a social worker that I agree with.
It's basically admitting that the only cases social workers deal with are the "police" cases, which are best dealt with by the police.

And there is no need for social workers UNLESS they provide a supportive role.

I could go one step further and say the end result of what he's suggesting that the supportive functions be done by schools and health visitors could be better. We scrap the concept of soical workers as police. They exist as supportive OR that supportive role is contracted out to other agencies like the NHS which focus on the mental illness or the depression and sort it out. And the bad cases go straight to the police.

This might be the best overall solution, compared to the current situation.

All bad parents would be prosecuted in open court.
No need for secret courts.
The schools and NHS operate in transparent ways, so a much better outcome for society could be possible.

A very interesting article indeed!