Features of a Professional Assessment

Features of a Professional nousThis assignment leave behind focus on addressing the distinctive features of a professional sagaciousness in br an opposite(prenominal)ly work. It bequeath formulation into the importance of estimation, the sagacity performance and law and policy which relates to discernment. Fin in ally it will address assessment in practice with regards to two supporter exploiter groups namely of age(p) pot and aff equal wellness. judging is part of the behind of social work practice, the better the quality of assessment the more stiff it would be (McDonald, 2006). Coulshed (1991) describes assessment as analysing address of selecting, organising and synthesising discipline. McDonald (2006) describes it as an intellectual process, it is a tool apply to make sense of nurture relevant to issues examined. Assessment is used in m all opposite forms and with antithetic supporter drug drug drug user groups, some forms of assessment include c hance assessment, the single assessment processes and mental wellness assessments. Assessment is essentially identifying the ask and risks in an person attitude to judge which intervention, function and resources would be most withdraw (Adams, Dominelli and Payne, 2009). The 1990 National health work and Community misgiving Act placed the assessment of biotic community c atomic number 18 services as statutory work. This enabled social histrions to justifiably assign to be doing statutory work, which needed extensive knowledge and to be through with(predicate) with(p) quickly (McDonald, 2006). Community caveat assessment dirty dog be a gateway to other services, depending on the take of the patients need.The assessment process varies mingled with social proletarians because of their social work experience, theoretical orientation of the social player, the social doers values and the copulationship between service user and social worker (McDonald, 2006).Social wo rkers also need certain skills to be able to extend to an effective assessment these include listening and communicating skills, universe able to counsel and beneathstand a service users problem, pay an insight of other services unattached to the service user and be able to bid the risks the service user whitethorn face daily against the resources that may be available to the service user (McDonald, 2010) (Harding and Beresford, 1996).The Victoria Climb inquiry stressed the importance of assessment (Laming, 2003). If assessment is done properly and as a cycle constantly evaluating Laming (2003) predicts that social work practice and the service stipulation to the family would be more effective. Parker and Bradley (2005) understand that assessment is a continual process and use the ASPIRE sham to show how assessment should work. The ASPIRE model stands for assessment, jut forthning, intervention and recapitulation and evaluation (Sutton, 1999). This model shows assessmen t as a process that never stops because service users nones change over time, reviewing and evaluating the government agency and continually reassessing helps to discover if the betterment interpreted is effective or if the service user needs a different one in place. Milner and OByrne (2002) hand similar recommendations to Laming (2003) they conclude that intervention is more likely to succeed when assessment is effective (Parker and Bradley, 2005).Within any depositting assessment involves a frame of features according to Milner and OByrne (2002) these include preparation, platformning and engagement. The first step involves identifying the main peck surrounding the case and whence establishing a deadline under which information has to be collected. The next step involves the collection of information. This includes what the single deficiencys, their problems and information from other sources for practice professional statements. The next part of the assessment proc ess involves looking at the data and assessing their needs, by taking into account how they ar currently operation and weighing the risks. The last step involves producing an action picture. This concludes what help is needed, what resources be available and when reviews will take place (Milner et al, 2002).There are a digit of policies and guidance which highlight the importance of assessment and the need for them to be used by social workers. The National health Service Community attention Act, 1990 section 47 Assessment of Needs for Community Care work is an essential part of the legislation when assessing an individuals needs. Under this section when it appears that any souls for whom the local authority may provide community business organization or services or may be in need of any other such services the local authority should carry out an assessment of their needs for those services. Upon receiving assessment results the local authority arse then go down whether their needs are great enough to be given preparedness of services.Fair Access to Care Services (2003) guidance understands that consistent inlet to services should be across the country but provision is prioritised into set criteria according to risk and independence. All local authorities have the kindred eligibility criteria. However they can come to different decisions. This is guidance not law, so any local authority can decide on the musical scale the individual would be on before services can be given (Clements, 2004).Features of assessment in relation to older heapThe NHS plan (Department of health, 2000) and the National Service fabric for Older people (2001) introduced the single assessment process ( rake). The aim of this process is to provide individual centred care to service users and also their carers. Parker and Bradley (2003) conclude that the government produced this new process because historically there were a number of criticisms involving team working in spite of appearance different disciplines. The bore was produced to prevent questions being needlessly duplicated by different disciplines and to share the information between all and to command person centred care. The National Service Framework for Older People was the first wide-ranging strategy that focused on fair, quality health and social care for older people (National Service Framework for Older People, 2001). The aim of person centred care is to ensure all older people are treated individually, that they receive care appropriate to them. Social workers moldiness also take into account anti sexist practice when involved in assessing any individual, the service users decisions must blow over the process. Social workers will have front experience of the assessment process, and perhaps of older people in similar situations, its imperative that the service user is safeguarded against direction from the social worker to ensure that the social worker does not lead the assessment. The process must focus on the service users views and perspectives throughout.The SAP involves three broad levels (McDonald, 2010). Contact assessment, which includes individuals who may need support from different services. Overview assessment involves mental, physical and social needs including the impact of their needs on the family and carers this level supports multi disciplinary teams. The last level is a specialist assessment, taken when more understanding is needed regarding an individuals need and how they can meet it. some other assessment available is a comprehensive assessment. This is offered when the older person needs intensive and long term treatment.A comprehensive assessment involves staple fibre details, the category of need, the support network the individual has, current problems, carers views, a risk assessment of their current behaviorstyle, the individuals current strengths, social network and supporting situation as well as more extensive inf ormation.Assessment uses scheme and practice to understand the situations of an older person. It involves problems, risks, needs and resources of the older person. It requires professional judgement to take into account all information to give an opinion, whether the older person needs services and resources to be available for them (McDonald, 2010).When processing an assessment with older people there are key fragments the professional must consider. McDonald (2010) suggests that effective quality assessments of older people involve particular components. These include development a strengths perspective, the older person still has the ability to know where their problems deceit and how they would deal with them utilize this throughout the assessment identifies their strengths. Another component includes grapple skills, as they grow older they focus more on what they can do and less on what they have problematicies with. Focusing on their strengths quite than problems ens ures a positive approach to the assessment process. Social workers must ensure anti discriminatory practice takes place, an important component of this is citizenship, it involves the service user participating in decision making. When moving to a care menage for example the older persons care plan should involve advocacy so they can continue to make decisions regarding their health and social care, societal changes and their living environment within the care home. Respecting their decisions is a value social workers should have in practice. Social workers need to understand that family and carers needs may be different to that of the older person and these may need to be a priority. The social worker must also tell the older person about the assessment process giving information about wherefore its being conducted and what the aim of the process is.Although the SAP was produced to bring all information together there were criticisms of working with different disciplines. A liter ature review by Challis, Clarkson, Williamson, Venables, Hughes, Burns and Weinburg (2004) found that there was a lack of assertion between disciplines when implementing the SAP. The SAP is a long process and each level takes time that some professionals dont have. Also if the older person is having difficulty they may need to make provisions to enable them to continue with tasks they find difficult until a decision is made regarding resources available to them. However they may not be given the amount of resources and services that the service user expects. Those who are not eligible have needs but are concluded to have not sufficient needs to receive help. These older people are expected to use provisions around them, for example family and friends to help with the problems they face (Henwood and Hudson, 2008). Henwood and Hudson (2008) found that those older people who had sufficient money to computer memory their services felt that they had to discover their own way to find th e unspoiled services available, having not received the advice and information that other older people going through the assessment process would get.Following from the assessment process the older person then receives an individual care plan. This care plan shows the objectives and outcomes from the support provided. The individual care plan builds on the older persons strengths, how they can address their needs, the older person should also agree to the care plan being implemented.Personalisation is now being introduced in the UK. This new method of assessment involves a self assessment of needs. A Personal budget questionnaire is then completed. This questionnaire is simple and designed to help the older person give information about their needs. The social worker will complete it with the service user and family member. The decision of eligibility is then decided. If they are eligible they will be allocated a sum of money through a personal budget, further assessments would be completed to calculate how very much the service user would have to contribute. formerly the budget is agreed upon the service user can plan where they want to spend their allocated money on the support they want.Features of assessment in relation to mental healthThere are a number of different assessments which are involved in the mental health services. Depending upon the individuals circumstances specific assessments would take place. Section 47 of the National Health and Community Care Act (1990) states that any individual who has needs of services under a local authority the local authority must carry out an assessment. A decision then follows this assessment. Depending on the mental health of an individual the assessment would focus on their problems and needs and how they could achieve the best outcomes. received 2 of the National Service Framework for intellectual Health (1999) specifies that any service user that has contacted their primary health care team with a commo n mental health problem should have their needs set and assessed.Previously the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Common law of emergency have been used to assess the needs of individual with mental health problems. Recently the common law has been replaced by the Mental might Act. Assessors within this service now use a broader approach to include the criteria of some(prenominal) the Mental Health Act, 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (Barber, Brown and Martin, 2009).Mental health assessment involves a broad scope of information to collect. The Mental Health Act considers the mental disorder, the nature of the disorder, whether the person or others are at risk, the type of treatment necessary for example if the individual needs hospital care or if its possible to use community based mental health services and if its possible to give services without the individual being hospitalised (Barber et al, 2009). Its much less intrusive to the individual if it is appropriate for them to receive care in their community rather than going into hospital and because of the stigma attached to using a section 2 or 3 of the Mental Health Act any social worker or professional in this setting would chose community care if they could.Assessment with regard to the Mental Capacity Act draws upon information involving the impairment of the individual, the age of the individual, the individuals capacity of making decisions and if the care they would receive would be a deprivation of liberty (Barber et al, 2009).An assessment under the Mental Health Act can be done mandatorily when there is a mental disorder, or if it is in the patients safety or health and to protect others. Before the assessment takes place the social worker should look into previous history and liaise with other professionals involved in the case. Depending on whether you use a section 2 which last 28 days or a section 3 which lasts up to 6 months a team is needed to admit the individual. When assessing und er these sections the social worker must ask questions regarding evidence of mental illness and the risk towards the individual or others, if the patient consents to informal admission or if there are alternatives to hospitalisation.A Care computer program approach assessment may be offered when an individual leaves an inpatient psychiatric unit or uses a community mental health team. This assessment is encouraged as all aspects of care are co-ordinated by one person. The assessment involves personal history, social situation, definition of the illness and symptoms and length of treatment and what the individuals needs are. The care programme approach incorporates four specific elements, as defined in Building link up a guide to arrangements for inter-agency working for the care and protection of severely mentally ill people (DOH, 1995). These elements include the assessment of health care and social needs. The formed care plan, the appointment of a key worker who has a responsib ility to monitor the care of the service user and the last element includes regular reviews of the care given and if needed how to adapt the care because of changes of need.Mental health assessments are complicated because of individuals complex situations assessing risk and needs as well as resources available. Social work practice must sweep up a number of strategies when undertaking assessment for it to be effective. The care programme approach enables social workers to focus on the individual directing through all aspects of care and co-ordinating their care when the assessment process is finished.The social worker is constantly receiving information including guidance from governments, evidence from research and literature. There is merely vague guidance on how to undertake the assessment of the individual, even though assessment is so important because the results will undeniably affect the individuals life for the upcoming future for a substantial amount of time. Social wor kers must balance risk, resources and the individuals needs whilst undertaking the assessment, a process which can be very intricate and complicated when an individual has diverse needs and their risks are so great. However as social workers reflect on their previous assessments they will take away a strong idea of what plant life and this over time will help make assessments more effective.Assessment is vital within social work and the features of assessment differ depending on the type of service the social worker is within. However within any service the assessment process still requires similar techniques including individualisation and citizenship and being open and honest. Many reports and papers have shown that when assessment is done properly and uses an ecological approach which covers society and familial relationships as well as at an individual level then the assessment process will be more effective.