1

Assessment of

Parenting Capacity

Mark Allerton www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/ccc

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The Big Picture

• Why are you here? Why do you need to know about this?

• Clinical, ethical and professional problems

• What can/can’t mental health professionals offer?

3

The NSW Children’s Court Clinic

• Set up by NSW Children &Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998

• Conducts independent assessments for courts, mostly of children, and of parenting capacity

• Both internal and contracted Authorised Clinicians (child psychologists, social workers and psychiatrists) conduct assessments, and are expert witnesses in court.

4

Ages of Children Referred…

1044

749

658

583545

508 488440 417 424 401

300261 238

13775

25 19 7

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

0 ye

ars

1 ye

ars

2 ye

ars

3 ye

ars

4 ye

ars

5 ye

ars

6 ye

ars

7 ye

ars

8 ye

ars

9 ye

ars

10 yea

rs

11 yea

rs

12 yea

rs

13 yea

rs

14 yea

rs

15 yea

rs

16 yea

rs

17 yea

rs

18 yea

rs

Age of children

Nu

mb

er

of

ch

ild

ren

5

Children per Order …

2037

928

531

211117

39 24 4 10

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

1 ch

ild

2 ch

ildre

n

3 ch

ildre

n

4 ch

ildre

n

5 ch

ildre

n

6 ch

ildre

n

7 ch

ildre

n

8 ch

ildre

n

9 ch

ildre

n

No. of children

No

. o

f A

pp

licati

on

s (

To

tal:

3892)

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Questions we attempt to answer (See the clinic website for more details*)

1.Parenting capacity/responsibility

2.Parent/caregiver–child relationships

3.Children and young persons’ individual

characteristics, needs and wishes

4.Suggestions for steps to achieve desired

outcomes

-But we need an agreed case summary, and to know

what specific problems the court needs to resolve.

* www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/ccc

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Abusive Parents and their Children

• Risks of parents’ drug and alcohol abuse

• Abusive parents (Denver Group)

• The abused child’s perspective (Martin)

• Children in abusive and neglectful

families (Crittenden)

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Risk and Protective Factors in

Vulnerable Families Fonagy (1998)

(i) Biological factors

(ii) Family and social factors

(iii) Quality of parenting

(iv) Quality of attachment status

(v) The influence of non-maternal care

Caregiver relationships are primary:

practical parental empathy/ responsive caregiving

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Areas Affected by Child Abuse and Neglect

Physical development

Emotional development

Behavioural development

Social development

Cognitive and cultural development

Development not even, sequential or

harmonious

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What Children Need, and the Impact of

Child Abuse and Neglect

Area A Child Needs Problems…

Physical Physical care and safety Physical, nutrition, growth,

dental, coordination

Emotional Empathic Attention and

Attachment Relationship

Attachment disorders, FTT,

emotional and behaviour

Behavioural Emotional and behavioural

self-regulation

Attention, impulsivity,

aggression

Social Role models Social, language

Cognitive

and Cultural

Cultural Education Attention, play, problem-

solving, education, culture

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Clinic Data: Child Problems

School-Aged Children

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Infants (5-7y) Primary (8-11) High (12-18) Total

Percen

t

Disability

Mental Illness

Violent Behaviour

School Non-Att

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Parents’ Resources

• Responsive caregiving and

protection

• Reflective Function

• Bonding

• Emotional availability

• Strategic behaviour management

• Ability to transmit the community’s

cultural and social values.

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Child Needs

Nor

mal

Vulne

rable

Chro

nic

Need

Parent Resources

Ap

pro

pri

ate

Vu

lne

rab

le

Ch

ron

ic

Pro

ble

m

Physical Care

and Safety

Responsive Caregiving and

Protection

Empathic

attention

Reflective Function

Attachment

Relationship

Bonding

Emotional Availability Emotional and

behavioural

self-regulation

Strategic Behaviour

Management

Role model

To learn

Ability to transmit

community values

Assessment of Parenting Capacity

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Child Needs Assessment

Physical Care

and Safety

•Welfare and medical/ development history,

•Developmental assessment,

•Observation of behaviour,

•Predictable developmental crises

Empathic

attention

• Observation, attachment assessment

Attachment

relationship

• Relationship history, attachment assessment

Emotional and

behavioural self-

regulation

•Behaviour problems and emotional symptoms,

•Family observation, social interactions, school

reports

Role model •Behaviour, peer socialisation, adaptive

behaviours

Cultural

education

•Education, peer socialisation, recreation, cultural

and spiritual development

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Assessment of Parents’ ResourcesResponsive

Caregiving and

Protection

•History, observation of parentcraft (e.g., PSI long form)

•Cognitive/language abilities

•Adaptive behaviour (e.g., ABAS)

•Risk Predictors (e.g., CAPI, SAARA)

Reflective

Function

•Clinical interview, AAI, partner interviews, attachment

assessment

Bonding •Relationship history, attachment assessment, PCRI

Emotional

Availability

•Mental health, interview about the child, observation of

interaction (e.g., MSE, DASS, PAI, PSI, CAPI, SASSI-3,

STAXI-2)

Strategic

Behaviour

Management

•Observation of interaction: management of behaviour,

behaviour problems

Community

values

•Social, educational and work history,

•Extended family network, socialisation, community links,

•Capacity to foster cultural/moral/spiritual development

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An Ordinary Assessment Model

• Reason for the referral

• Obtain a history of the family

• Parent and child:

– Cognitive aspects/Adaptive behaviours

– Emotional/Personality/Psychiatric aspects

– Social Interaction

• Specific tests of family functioning

• Formulation (formulation tool)

• Recommendations

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Specific Risks and Challenges

• Intellectual disability

• Drug/alcohol problems

• Personality disorders

• Maternal health

• Mental health

• Domestic violence

• Cross-cultural, ecological factors

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Clinic Data: Parent Problems

Parents of children assessed by the CCC

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29

65

45

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Disability Mental Illness AoD Abuse Violent Behaviour

Parent Factors (%)

Perc

ent

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Difficult decisions

• Is the child in imminent danger?

• How inadequate or damaging is the family?

• Concrete evidence of a child’s vulnerability?

• How likely are supportive interventions to

change things?

• How adequate are the alternatives?

• Placement factors

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The big question:Will the child benefit from restoration?

Think: What is in the child’s best interests?

•Yes?

Immediate (unconditional)? or

Conditional? – treatment, placement, contact: but can the child wait?

•No?

What environment will be safe, nurturing, stable and secure for this child?

Contact visits

Future prospects

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The End

– Thanks