The Supported Community Assessment (SCA) is carried out in the family's home over an eight-week period. It offers a cost-effective alternative to residential assessment or parent and child assessment placements. Sometimes referred to as “reverse residential” or “24/7 in the home” the Supported Community Assessment enables complex needs to be assessed while the family remain living in their own home and community.
Led by an experienced Independent Social Worker, the assessment team work together to provide support, information and guidance to parents and carers while simultaneously assessing both parental skills and functioning, parent-child interaction, and capacity to change.
WillisPalmer multi-disciplinary teams include Independent Social Workers and Family Support Worker ParentAssess trained assessors.
Family Support Workers provide parenting guidance, teaching and modelling, as well as observation of the child’s experience of being parented, 24 hours a day. The level of Family Support is reviewed during the assessment with a view to reducing, when safe to do so, to enable parents the opportunity to evidence their ability to provide safe care independently. The assessment report is completed after eight weeks, drawing on hundreds of hours of observation evidence and providing a thorough analysis and comprehensive recommendations for the local authority and courts.
The Supported Community Assessment service can facilitate multi-agency discharge from hospital for newborns with Family Support beginning ahead of receipt of letter of instruction. During the assessment, Family Support Workers assist parents to establish sustainable links with supportive services in their community.
Why Supported Community Assessment?
- Immediate start Family Support
- Cost efficient - up to 48% cheaper than residential assessment
- 24/7 safeguarding observation
- Family Support intervention - guidance, teaching and modelling
- Prevent delay - completed in 8 weeks
- ParentAssess or PAMS if required
- Quality Assured FSW session reports
- Case management by Consultant Social Worker and dedicated Case Manager
- 24/7 Out of Hours service
- Free Risk and Viability assessment
- reverse residential assessment Equivalent
Model of assessment
- Referral completed by Social Worker
- Risk and viability assessment completed by WillisPalmer
- Working Together Meeting
- Family Support begins
- Assessment sessions and observations begin
- Quality Assured FSW session reports filed weekly
- Weekly ISW and Family Support meetings
- Progress review and report
- Assessment sessions and observations continue
- Assessment report Quality Assured by Consultant Social Worker
- Report filed 8 weeks from letter of instruction
WillisPalmer has provided multi-disciplinary services to local authorities for over 19 years and has a reputation for high standards and excellent quality reports.
Supported Community Assessments have a dedicated Case Manager to ensure clear and responsive communication from referral to completion.
All WillisPalmer Family Support Workers have a level 3 Health and Social Care qualification or higher and at least 12 months practice experience.
Contact details
For more information about our new innovative SCA model, please contact our Senior Referrals Manager Rachel Anthony who can answer any questions you may have relating to the service.
Telephone: 01206 878162
Email: rachel@willispalmer.com
