Living Assessments

Understanding the experiences and impact of health and social care assessments on children and families.

In 2020 NCB secured a major, five-year investment from the Wellcome Trust in a collaboration with the University of Cambridge and the University of Kent, in conjunction with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children and the British Association of Social Workers.

The Living Assessment project (2020-2025) looked at the decision-making process for providing social care support to children and families, the impact of offering particular support or not offering that support, and the lived experiences of assessments. Its starting point was Children in Need, including disabled children, aged 11-25, (as defined under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989), although the exact focus of the project grew organically as the work progresses.

The research drew on four key sources:

  • Analysis of health, social care, benefits and educational records from over 350,000 participants, exploring the movement of children and families through different services over time.
  • Three “experts by experience” groups, comprising disabled children and adolescents, care leavers, and parents of those who have undergone assessments.
  • Interviews with people who were instrumental in developing the Children Act 1989 legislation, professionals who have conducted social care assessments, and children and young people who have themselves experienced these assessments.
  • Archival research of key documents relating to the 1989 Children Act.

Throughout the project we ensured engagement with civil servants, parliamentarians, policy makers and senior practitioners, in collaboration with MPs and Peers from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children (APPGC), and the experiences of those affected were heard at the highest levels of government.

 

The Living Assessments project was led by a cross-organisational team from NCB, the University of Kent, and the University of Cambridge.

NCB staff: Dustin Hutchinson, Keith Clements, Teresa Geraghty, Ava Berry, Rhea Singhvi, Silvia Tadiello, Bill Bows, Richard Newson, Lucy Evans, Laura Anderson and Matthew Dodd. University of Kent staff: Professor Julie Anderson, Monique Petit and Dr Eilis Boyle. University of Cambridge staff: Professor Robbie Duschinsky and Dr Barry Coughlan.