Multi-Disciplinary Services

WillisPalmer is a genuinely multi-disciplinary organisation with a national network of highly experienced and trained expert social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists and family support workers.

With 18 years' experience in the field, we are ideally placed to offer multi-disciplinary assessments and services to local authorities, courts and independent organisations.

Our multi-disciplinary approach proves timely, prevents delay and is cost effective. Our assessments can also be tailored to your needs.

Our multi-disciplinary interventions include:

Multi-Disciplinary Family Assessment Service (MFA)

Our professionals work together to address complex problems and keep families together where possible and safe to do so. A multi-disciplinary team, bespoke to the child and families' needs, work together to assess the family and their parenting capacity during an eight-week period. At the end of the eight weeks, a report is produced with advice and recommendations for the local authority. This assessment is carried out in the family's home, with help from family support workers, to provide a cost-effective alternative to expensive residential assessments, while keeping the child safe through 24/7 supervision where needed.

Systemic Family Assessment (public law)

WillisPalmer’s Systemic Family Assessment is a new and innovative service designed to address public law disputes and provide the court with the expert analysis it needs to be able to make final decisions for children in a timely manner.

The two experts – a psychologist and independent social worker – work together, in consultation with one another, to provide a full assessment and final report in six weeks from instruction.

The social work analysis considers the relationship each child has with their parent/s and siblings (if relevant) before providing an expert view about the impact of the family system on the child/ren and clear recommendations about how to minimise any negative effect on the child.

Systemic Family Assessment (private law)

Private law cases are increasing and there is often not a clear time-frame for cases to reach a conclusion and decisions to be made about the subject child or children. Children who are central to private law disputes experience a significant impact on their emotional wellbeing as their parents become embroiled in what can be a lengthy and procrastinated battle with court hearing following court hearing.

The Systemic Family Assessment is a new and innovative service designed to address private law disputes by providing the court with expert analysis and recommendations in a bid to resolve parental conflict and produce the best outcomes for children.

Multi-Disciplinary Family Restoration Service

WillisPalmer's Multi-Disciplinary Family Restoration Service is mainly for children who are accommodated under S.20 or the subject of a Care Order or Interim Care Order. Children who are on the edge of care or in pre-proceedings may also benefit from aspects of the service.

Our multi-disciplinary team of experts comprising an Independent Social Worker, psychologist and family support worker (FSW) work together to identify problems and work alongside the family to address these issues in a bid to keep families together and put an end to the revolving door phenomenon of children entering care, leaving care only to re-enter the care system at a later date.

Further details

Over the past 18 years, WillisPalmer has been commissioned by over 40 local authorities in the UK and by over 250 firms of solicitors. We have also undertaken work for four different IFAs, residential establishments, schools, one university and many members of the public.

We currently feature on numerous framework contracts undertaking the whole range of assessment services, quality assurance functions and training.