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Assessment policy and practice

Assessment policy and practice

Assessment is a key process that allows social workers to make sense of the child’s situation and the nature and extent of their needs, so they can make a professional judgement on the best intervention to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare.

Decisions on children's care may rest on whether social workers believe parents can improve their parenting capacity in a timeframe that is right for the child.

Assessing parental capacity to change is a key factor in social work assessments. 

Social workers can refer to the Assessing parents motivation to change policy based on the Prochaska and Di Clementi model.

Social workers can also refer to the C Change model of assessment.

Last updated: 23 February 2026