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Completing the common

assessment paperwork

Guidance for users

Lyn Tapping

Assessment and Information Officer

August 2013

Completing a common assessment.

This document provides guidance on completing a common assessment, (early help

assessment).

Here you will find examples of useful questions to ask when completing a common

assessment, as well as some guidance notes in particular areas. These areas have been

specifically chosen as these constitute the most frequently asked questions.

Prompt questions have been given for when working with both the child/young person as

well as the parents/carers, as a guide. Not all questions will be relevant to the child/young

person you are working with, and you will need to consider the age of the child/young

person, but these should give you some ideas to get started with.

Please include the child/young person in the assessment, as their voice is so important.

Feel free to be as creative as you want with this – pictures, drawings, letters as well as any

direct comments recorded on the common assessment; all of these provide the voice of the

child to inform planning.

Once the common assessment has been completed, please send it in to the Integrated

Working team, who will log it should there be future enquiries or a need to update it, and be

happy to offer support with the next steps.

If you find you have any further questions, or require further training on the common

assessment framework, please do get in touch, and we will be happy to provide you with

support. The Integrated Working Team provide multi-agency and bespoke training on both

the common assessment framework, as well as planning and chairing the Team Around the

Child/Family meetings and the role of the lead professional.

If you are concerned about the immediate safety of a child or young person, you should

speak to your manager and/or seek advice from the Social Services Referral and

Assessment Team on 01225 477000 or email: childcare_dutyteam@bathnes.gov.uk

Lyn Tapping Kevin Clark

Assessment and Information Officer Assessment and Information Officer

(North East Somerset) (Bath)

01225 395448 01225 395308

Alex Hobbs Caroline Dowson

Integrated Working Administrator Integrated Service Manager

01225 395021 01225 395092

Consent MUST be sought

for all common assessments

all stages, and the

child/young person and/or

parent/carer involved at all

stages

Please be sure

to include all

details, for

example

telephone

number,

mobile

number,

postcode etc.

The form will be read by children and young people, as

well as parents and professionals.

Remember to keep the language simple and in plain

English.

Use this box for people present when writing the

common assessment. Include the child/young

person and family members/other adults involved.

It is useful to know about the home and family dynamics

– who is important to the young person, even if they do

not live with them.

Consider using a family tree here.

Don’t forget

to include

both parents’

details if

appropriate

It is

important to

know why a

common

assessment

has been

started

This is the common assessment ‘writer’s’ information.

This is not necessarily the person who will be the lead

professional.

If a lead professional has been agreed, with the family,

enter the name here. This can be updated if needed.

Please include ALL

agencies involved, and

include accurate contact

details. The family may

use this to keep track of

who is who, and how to

contact them, plus it

allows other agencies to

see who is supporting the

family.

It is also useful to know about agencies/people who

have previously been involved with the child/young

person and family – indicate that the contact has

ended, and why.

Please complete all boxes –

remember to indicate positives

and strengths as well as needs

and concerns.

Use of bullet points or sentences

is fine. Do you think you

are healthy?

Do you see your

GP/Dentist etc?

Can you access

medical help easily?

Do you ever worry

about your health?

Does your health

affect any areas of

your life?

Do you think your

child is generally

healthy?

Is your child

registered with a

GP/Dentist/

optician?

Do you have any

worries about your

child’s health?

What do people

working with your

child need to know?

Tell me about

your friendships

How do you

deal with

problems?

What makes

you happy/sad?

Who do you talk

to about

feelings?

Who thinks you

are special?

Who is special

to you?

Do you have

any problems or

worries?

Does your child

tell you how

they are

feeling?

How do they

get on with

friends/peers?

Is your child

worried about

anything?

Do you worry

about

changeable or

unpredictable

behaviour in

your child?

What do you do for fun? What do you do with friends?

Do you think your behaviour is OK? Tell me why you think

that.

Do you get into trouble often? What for?

How do you think your friends would describe you?

Would you say your child is well behaved?

Do they take part in age appropriate activities?

Does your child get into trouble at school? What for?

Does anyone (neighbours/friends) complain about your

child?

It is useful to involve the

school/nursery/child-minder with

the section on learning, as well as

the child/young person and their

family. They will be able to

comment on the child’s learning,

and identify any concerns or

specific skills.

What things are

special/unique

about you?

Tell me about

your family

history

What are you

good at?

How do you fit in

with your

family/friends?

Who is important

to you?

What are your

child’s skills?

Tell me about

your family

history

How does your

child deal with

setbacks/hearing

negative

feedback?

Has your child

experienced

discrimination?

What do you want to be when you grow up/leave school?

What do you need to learn to do that? Do you need help?

Who from?

Do you give up or work harder when faced with a

problem?

Does your child have realistic goals, for their age?

What do you hope for your child?

Is your child motivated or do they need a lot of

encouragement?

What do you

enjoy about

school/learning?

How often do you

attend school? If

not every day,

why?

Tell me what you

are good at

Who do you go to

for help?

Do you prefer to

try new things, or

ask for help?

Why?

How is your

child’s

attendance?

Are you able to

get them to

school on time?

Does your child

do homework –

do you help?

Do you read with

your child at

home?

Does your child

get any extra

help with

anything at

school?

Do you feel that

people care for

you?

Is your home

warm and dry?

Do you have an

evening meal

with your family?

Tell me about

your bedroom

Do you invite

your friends

over?

Do you feel you

are able to keep

your child safe?

For example, on

the internet, is

the garden

secure and child

friendly etc?

Do you need

help with things

like food and

clothing?

What would you

change about

your home?

What are the

rules at home?

How do you

know when you

get something

wrong?

Who

encourages

you?

What activities

do you do at

home?

What happens

when you do

something

really well?

Does your child

listen to you?

Do you have

any

rules/boundarie

s?

Do you

encourage your

child to try new

things?

What

rewards/conse

quences do

you have?

Tell me about your family

Draw a road map of important times in your life

Do you live in a ‘happy’ home?

Is there always someone there when you get home from school? Are you alone for long?

Are there any significant incidents in your family past?

Tell me about your family – how does everyone get on?

Are there any illnesses/disabilities in the family?

Is there any history of violence or unsafe/risky behaviour?

Do you feel you are supported?

It is important to complete these boxes. It helps everyone know what the

child/young person and family need and want, as well as recognising their

strengths and hearing their worries and concerns.

This all helps the team around the child meetings to be more focused.

Summarise the

needs identified

here.

What are the

child/young

person and

family hoping

for?

What is already

going well?

What are the

protective

factors, etc?

What are the

concerns?

This is where to

put the

conclusions of

the

assessment.

It’s really important to include the needs and wants of the

child/young person and family here.

How might things start to change? Is there any obvious support

which has already been requested/already happening?

It is most useful to agree an action plan as part of the

team around the child meeting, with the full agreement of

the family, young person and all agencies involved.

Consider SMART targets, and be aware of the number of

actions – be careful not to overwhelm the family with

actions/new people.

Actions should

include things the

child/young

person and family

will do, things

already

happening as well

as any referrals to

be made.

Always agree a

review date and

ensure the

child/young

person and

family are

happy with the

location of the

meetings.

Selecting a lead professional.

Being lead professional does not mean you do all the work! People

are still responsible for their ‘action’.

The LP is there to act as the single point of contact for young person,

family and other professionals.

Family have a say in who is LP, and should be their choice,

ultimately.

Please try to include the comments/thoughts of the child/young person

and parents/carers views. It is important they are kept at the centre of

the process.

It’s OK to be creative, use drawings, letters, records of conversations

etc.

Consent must be sought at all stages,

and common assessments must be

signed.

You can find further guidance and

explanation of the consent process at

www.bathnes.gov.uk/earlyhelp

Review meetings should usually be called 8 to 12 weeks after the last

meeting.

It is the lead professional’s job to make sure this happens in a timely

manner

Reviews should be

addressed in turn

at the meeting,

with progress and

barriers discussed.

Some actions may

be closed and new

actions added.

Be specific with

who will be doing

what actions, and

by when.

To measure the impact of support via a scoring system,

there is a generic Bath and North East Somerset distance

travelled tool. Please find this at

http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/children-young-

people-and-families/early-help-support-families The

distance travelled tool should be completed at the same

time as the reviews.

This page provides the opportunity to give

some narrative to the meetings

Feel free to use bullet points or full sentences!

When to close?

If all actions have

been successfully

completed

When the

child/young person

and family feel they

can be supported by

one agency, or no

longer need support

When consent is

withdrawn

Don’t forget that the

common assessment can

be updated and a new

action plan agreed as

part of a team around the

child meeting at any time,

with consent.

As always, please try to capture the

voice of the child/young person and the

family.

It really is so important to hear their

thoughts and views.