David Lambert, former assessment chief inspector at the Social Services Inspectorate will release a report on the inquiry into the care of seven year-old Toni-Ann Byfield to John Reid, the secretary of State for health tomorrow, Thursday, 29th April. The report is said to detail how an improper risk assessment and failures to inform local authorities about Byfield’s situation contributed to the most serious failure in child protection since the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie.
Each of the criticisms highlighted in Lambert’s report demonstrate a recognised need for social services workers to become more structured in how they carry out their job functions. Moving forward, tragedies like the deaths of both Byfield and Climbie may be prevented through proper training, which must guided and structured by detailed assessment. This includes identifying the areas of potential risk that need to be addressed to avoid other children being overlooked.
Very recently child protection specialist Helen Kenward has been working in conjunction with a commercial company to create a new assessment for the social services. Unlike traditional assessments, the new social services assessment measures six discrete areas of risk along with each respondents’ level of confidence to determine whether social service workers properly understand the procedures created to identify vulnerable children like Byfield and Climbie.
According to Helen Kenward, the assessment ventures to broach a intensely difficult issue for child protection which now must necessarily be addressed. Child protection is an enormous challenge - children have a right to be safe and we are responsible for making that a reality. It has traditionally been difficult to quantify what an individual retains from a training session and this approach leverages the latest technology to deliver precise, scientific assessments. We can then help people to target those areas of which they are uncertain to build both their understanding and their confidence in performing their job.
For further information on the assessment, please contact: Stephanie Kane/Hemal Vasavada Harvard PR
Tel: 020 8759 0005
Email: cognisco@harvard.co.uk
Toni-Ann Byfield Inquiry Demonstrates a Need for Proper Training in Child Protection
Child protection specialist Helen Kenward develops targeted assessment.