Assessing to keep other people safe in case management
Case summary
Inspector’s comments
Important learning
Take-away learning
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This case example illustrates where assessment showed a good understanding of a child’s risk of harm to others. We expect assessment to:0
- clearly identify and analyse any risk of harm to others posed by the child, including identifying who is at risk and the nature of that risk
- draw sufficiently on available sources of information, including past behaviour and convictions, and involve other agencies where appropriate
- analyse the controls and interventions used to manage and minimise the risk of harm presented by the child.
Case summary
Farooq is a 16-year-old male who was given an eight-month referral order for two offences of robbery committed with another child.
Farooq and his co-defendant targeted children on their way to school to rob them of their mobile phones. Neither the phones nor the weapons, thought to be knives, were recovered. This was the first time Farooq had been involved in the youth justice system and the case manager was aware that these were serious offences that included threats to the victims and the use of weapons.
The case manager recognised Farooq’s lack of confidence and his inexperience of the youth justice system and spent time with him explaining the court and assessment processes. He sought to engage Farooq in the assessment by asking him to undertake a safety and wellbeing questionnaire and this helped Farooq to feel more involved in the process. This is a self-assessment and is part of the general health screening. It also enabled the case manager to develop a good understanding of Farooq and assess his involvement in, and motivation for, committing the offences. Although Farooq had stability at home and a supportive family, the case manager was concerned about his emotional development and that he could have been susceptible to peer influence or criminal exploitation.
A parenting assessment had also been completed and this helped the case manager to broaden his understanding of the wider context of Farooq’s life, and to assess any further safety, wellbeing and protective factors in his home and his social settings. The case manager then embarked on a comprehensive risk of harm assessment to ascertain the nature and gravity of any prevailing risks to others. He analysed the different aspects of Farooq’s life in terms of his family, his community and his relationship with his peers. He considered the impact on the victims of the robberies and any potential victims in the future. Through the assessment, the case manager understood that Farooq had been influenced by his peers. He regretted his involvement in the offences and realised the impact his behaviour had on the victims and his family.
During the inspection interview, the case manager explained how the assessment had resulted in Farooq being correctly assessed as presenting a medium risk of further serious harm to others.9 The case manager explained how he then factored this into his plan for Farooq. He detailed the frequency of contact and how he wanted any interventions to function, including restorative justice work, if it was appropriate, with the victims of the robbery offences.
Inspector’s comments
The case manager completed a thorough assessment that considered who was at risk from Farooq, the nature of that risk, and the impact and imminence of the risk. This was identified as a good practice case because the case manager included all harmful behaviours that Farooq was displaying and not just those that related to the robberies. The case manager explored with Farooq his motivation for committing the offences and did a lot of work to understand whether he specifically identified and targeted the victims.
The case manager recognised the importance of collating information from other agencies, including police intelligence, which helped to inform the level of assessed risk of harm Farooq presented to others. All agencies involved considered the controls that were in place for Farooq. These included the supervision he had at home, where clear boundaries were being set, as well as his attitude to committing the offences and offending in general.
The inspector noted that the case manager, through the assessment process, also explored and considered Farooq’s capacity and capability to comply with any restorative activity. This was then included in the planning process. The outcome was a positive experience for both Farooq and the victims involved.
Important learning
A combination of assessment methods and approaches are critical in preparing a suitable and sufficient plan to deliver services, where necessary, to keep people safe. These include:
- addressing the interaction between different aspects of the child’s life
- taking account of their broader context, such as family and peers, and situations where the child could be exploited
- gaining the child’s own perspective on their behaviour and the risk that they may present to others.
Take-aways – applying the learning
- Did you benefit from the case illustration and will you make any changes to your assessment practice?
- How can you develop further your understanding of assessing risk of harm to others?
[9] Medium risk using the AssetPlus assessment is applied when some risk is identified but the offender is unlikely to cause serious harm unless circumstances change.
This case summary is intended for training/learning purposes and includes a fictional name.
