5.1  THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (often referred to simply as the Assessment Framework) This document may be downloaded at the foot of this page. was issued jointly by the Department of Health, the Department for Education and Employment (as it then was) and the Home Office in 2000.  It provides guidance to local authorities social services departments and other agencies on the assessment of children in need under the Children Act 1989.

The framework sets out to provide a systematic way of analysing and recording what is happening to children and young people within their families and the wider community in which they live, so that sound professional judgements can be made on children's needs.  It describes a systematic approach to information gathering across three domains of a child's life: the child's developmental needs, parenting capacity, and family and environmental factors.




Click here to view the next section.