Working with uncertainty and risk in children’s social care
Published:
An overview of what uncertainty and risk looks like in child protection.
This film is part of the Working with uncertainty and risk in children's social care: Video learning resources.
Professor Eileen Munro talks about uncertainty and risk in child protection work. It’s an area that we want to get right and protect every child from harm, but the reality is that the world is designed in a way that makes this impossible. What is a realistic professional standard that we can hope to achieve? What happens when we do not get the outcomes that we want?
Talking Points
This video looks at:
- Starting with an assessment of harm and the (often) limited information available to inform this and predict what will happen in the future.
- Concerns around the concept of risk: What we mean by risk in the context of children’s social care and the negative connotations associated with risk.
- How the concept of risk can cause anxiety, which can affect performance and reasoning.
- How managing risk is not just an individual task but is also shaped by organisational culture and context.
- Why we should spend time focusing on the present and past during the assessment process, instead of being drawn immediately to making an assessment of likelihood of future harm.
- The importance of making a well-reasoned judgement and why we should not aspire to be perfect.
- Finding the balance between strengths and dangers when doing an assessment of the family.
Reflective questions
Consider examples from your own organisation and practice:
- What are some of challenges in using the concept of risk within the context of children’s social care?
- How do you balance risks with strengths?
- What are some of the anxieties you have felt when making an assessment and how have you managed these?
- What support is available in your team/organisation to support you in making an assessment about the likelihood of future harms? What further support would be helpful?
- How might you better focus on the present and past during the assessment process?
Resources that are mentioned in this video
Related resources
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - Child and family assessment | Analysis, decision-making, planning and review | Confident analysis and decision-making | Purposeful and effective social work | Support effective decision-making | Designing a system to support effective practice
PCF - Critical reflection and analysis | Intervention and skills | Contexts and organisations