Assessments

Single Assessment Framework: Children's Social Care Guide

January 2025•12 min read

What is the Single Assessment?

The Single Assessment replaced the previous two-tier system of initial and core assessments in 2013, following the Munro Review of Child Protection. Under Working Together to Safeguard Children, local authorities conduct a single, continuous assessment process that is proportionate to the needs of the child and family.

The single assessment is not a form to be completed—it's a process of gathering, analysing, and understanding information to determine what help a child and family need.

Key Principles

Proportionality

Assessments should be proportionate to the presenting concerns. Not every referral requires the same depth of assessment. The Munro Review emphasised moving away from "one size fits all" towards a flexible approach that responds to individual circumstances.

Continuous Process

Assessment is not a single event but an ongoing process. Understanding develops over time through relationships and engagement. The assessment should be updated as new information emerges.

Child-Centred

The child must remain at the centre of the assessment. This means:

  • Seeing and speaking to the child
  • Understanding their daily lived experience
  • Capturing their voice and perspective
  • Keeping their needs as the primary focus

Family Involvement

Families should be partners in the assessment process wherever possible. This includes:

  • Being clear about concerns and the assessment purpose
  • Involving them in gathering information
  • Sharing findings and conclusions
  • Working together on planning

The Assessment Framework

The single assessment uses the Assessment Framework triangle, which examines three interconnected domains:

Child's Developmental Needs

  • Health
  • Education
  • Emotional and behavioural development
  • Identity
  • Family and social relationships
  • Social presentation
  • Self-care skills

Parenting Capacity

  • Basic care
  • Ensuring safety
  • Emotional warmth
  • Stimulation
  • Guidance and boundaries
  • Stability

Family and Environmental Factors

  • Family history and functioning
  • Wider family
  • Housing
  • Employment
  • Income
  • Family's social integration
  • Community resources

Remember: The three domains interact with each other. The assessment should analyse these interactions—how environmental factors affect parenting capacity, how parenting capacity impacts developmental needs, and so on.

Timescales

Working Together 2023 sets a maximum timescale of 45 working days for completing an assessment from the point of referral. However:

  • This is a maximum, not a target—assessments should be completed as quickly as the child's circumstances require
  • Some assessments may be completed in days; others may require the full period
  • Short-term decisions should not wait for assessment completion
  • If child protection concerns emerge, Section 47 enquiries should begin immediately

What Should the Assessment Include?

Information Gathering

  • Referral information and history
  • Views of the child (age-appropriate methods)
  • Views of parents/carers
  • Views of wider family where relevant
  • Information from other professionals
  • Observations of the child and family
  • Review of records and history

Analysis

The assessment must move beyond description to analysis:

  • What is the impact on the child?
  • What are the risks and protective factors?
  • What does the family's history tell us about likely patterns?
  • What is the family's capacity to change?
  • What needs to happen for the child to be safe and thrive?

Conclusion and Recommendations

  • Clear statement of whether the child is in need
  • Whether child protection enquiries are required
  • What services or support are recommended
  • What outcomes should be achieved
  • Timescales for review

Section 17 and Section 47

The single assessment can determine whether a child is:

A Child in Need (Section 17)

A child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision of services, or whose health or development is likely to be significantly impaired without such services, or who is disabled.

Requiring Child Protection Enquiries (Section 47)

Where there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.

The assessment process is continuous—an assessment that begins as a Section 17 assessment may become a Section 47 enquiry if concerns escalate. Conversely, Section 47 enquiries may conclude without ongoing child protection involvement but identify needs for support under Section 17.

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Multi-Agency Contributions

The single assessment should draw on information from all relevant agencies. Working Together emphasises the importance of multi-agency working:

  • Health visitors: Developmental information, health history, home observations
  • Schools: Attendance, attainment, behaviour, peer relationships
  • GPs: Health information, parental health, medication
  • Police: Domestic abuse history, criminal concerns
  • Early Help: Previous involvement and engagement
  • Mental health services: Parental and child mental health

Seeing the Child

Social workers must see the child during assessment. This means:

  • Seeing the child alone where age-appropriate
  • Observing the child's presentation and behaviour
  • Observing interactions between child and parents
  • Seeing the child's bedroom and living spaces
  • Using age-appropriate communication methods
  • Building relationship over multiple visits where possible

Communicating with Children

Consider:

  • Age and developmental stage
  • Communication needs (interpreters, communication aids)
  • Creating a safe space for conversation
  • Using creative methods (play, drawing, worksheets)
  • Allowing time for the child to feel comfortable
  • Being clear about what you can and cannot keep confidential

Quality Assurance

A good single assessment should:

  • Be clearly focused on the child's needs
  • Contain the child's voice prominently
  • Gather information from multiple sources
  • Move beyond description to analysis
  • Consider the family's history and patterns
  • Identify both risks and protective factors
  • Reach clear, evidence-based conclusions
  • Make proportionate recommendations
  • Be written in accessible language

Common Challenges

Disguised Compliance

Families may appear to engage while not making genuine changes. Look for:

  • Superficial engagement without sustained change
  • Different presentation when professionals are present versus absent
  • Focus on professionals' requirements rather than child's needs

The "Rule of Optimism"

The tendency to view families positively and minimise concerns. Counter this by:

  • Focusing on outcomes for the child, not parental intentions
  • Considering patterns over time, not just current presentation
  • Seeking evidence of change, not just promises

Information Overload

Large volumes of information can obscure key issues. Combat this by:

  • Focusing on what is significant for the child
  • Using chronologies to identify patterns
  • Prioritising analysis over description

Conclusion

The single assessment framework represents a move towards more flexible, child-centred practice. It recognises that assessment is an ongoing process requiring professional judgment rather than a form-filling exercise. The quality of assessment depends not on completing every box, but on understanding the child's world, analysing what that means for their safety and wellbeing, and determining what needs to happen next.

Good assessments combine rigorous information gathering with thoughtful analysis, keeping the child at the centre throughout. They tell a coherent story about a child's life and provide a solid foundation for decision-making and planning.