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Effective Interventions Unit - Young people with, or at risk of developing, problematic substance misuse: A guide to assessment
Chapter 1: Why Assess Young People?
The purpose of assessment is to identify the needs and aspirations of the individual in order to inform decisions about treatment, care and support (EIU 2003, 2002).
What is assessment?
There is a range of descriptions and definitions of assessment. Assessment in social work, health or educational settings may refer to slightly different processes.
The Scottish Executive is currently developing an integrated assessment framework for all children and young people. For the purpose of this initiative the following working definition of assessment has been developed (note: this is work in progress and the definition may be further refined):
"Assessment can be used to build relationships".
"It can be used as a form of empowerment".
"Clients often see it as part of the therapeutic process."
"It's good to capture the big picture".
Practitioner consultations |
"
Assessment is an ongoing process of gathering information, structuring it and making sense of it in order to inform decisions about the actions necessary to maximise children's potential. It is led and supported by professionals, working with children and those who care for them, who are actively involved in the process. This process assumes the sharing of information where the law, practice and policy allows or requires it. It identifies and builds on strengths, whilst taking account of risks and needs".
'Integrated Care for Drug Users' describes assessment as "an ongoing process, not a one-off event" that "seeks to identify the range and level of needs of the individual,
not only problems with drug misuse, but also health, social and economic circumstances. It explores the individual's attributes and aspirations. The outcome should be informed decisions about treatment, care and support that are regularly reviewed and revised as necessary".
Our consultation with the families of young people involved in substance misuse identified the assessment process as
the route for their young people to get help. However, there was a perception that
sometimes the assessment was driven by what treatment, care and support was available and not necessarily what best met the needs of their young people.
Young people should be at the centre of the assessment process, but assessment is sometimes viewed by young people as a negative experience. The evidence strongly suggests that their perception of the assessment process will have a key influence on its success.
Young people's understanding of assessment varies.
"See what you have been up to"
"A test"
"Set goals"
"Answering questions"
"Trying to improve life style"
"Sheets about drugs"
"Asking questions"
"Gathering information about my life style and current situation"
"My life story"
Young people's consultations |
Key principles of assessment
The Beattie Committee Report 'Implementing Inclusiveness Realising Potential' (Scottish Executive 1999, available at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/doc04/bere-00.htm), identifies
key principles for an effective assessment process for young people who are experiencing difficulties in making the transition to post-school education and training as a result of disadvantage or disability.
The assessment process:
must be open
must be fair and accurate
must be focused on the individual and not designed to accommodate the organisational structures or administrative practices of an agency
must respect confidentiality
must encourage full participation and ownership by the individual
must aid progression
It should also:
be continuous but not repetitive
be given adequate time and care
be carried out by competent and well-trained staff
be designed to allow the transfer of accurate, relevant and up-to-date information
From our consultations with practitioners working with young people, there was broad agreement with these key principles although it was emphasised that the process should be flexible to allow treatment to begin when considered to be necessary.
"The process should be flexible - you should be able to start treatment while continuing with the assessment". |
The Beattie Committee Report also recognises that whilst this is the ideal "young people may be
unwilling to participate or to participate fully; they may have
difficulty in communicating their views about difficult areas of their lives; there may be
little or no previous information available; and their
aspirations and expectations may be unrealistic". We address these issues throughout this guide.
We have drawn on the guiding principles above in the following chapters which set out the key elements of effective practice that we have identified from our evidence-gathering and our consultations with practitioners, families and young people themselves.
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