Assessment of your child’s needs
If your child has a disability, long-term health condition or other needs, then you are likely to require additional help with family life.
To find out if your family can get formal support through your local council, the social work department will do an assessment of your child’s needs.
This is sometimes called a Section 23 Assessment, because this is the name that is used in the law about support for children in Scotland.
What does an assessment involve?
A social worker will meet with you and your child and ask questions about what they need support with.
The assessment does not have to be face to face or in your home. It may be over the phone or in a private place where your child feels comfortable.
If your child has capacity (if they can understand the questions asked) they will be included in all discussions, and their opinions must be taken into account.
If they cannot understand the questions asked, the social worker may ask to use some other methods of communication to try to get their input and opinions. An example of other methods might be Augmented Alternative Communication (AAC).
At all stages, you and your child must be included, and your opinions should feel valued.
The person doing the assessment will ask you about your child, what life is like for them and your family, and what they need support with.
It can be difficult talking about this, especially with someone you do not know.
It is important to be honest with the social worker about your child and your family’s needs.
The social worker will only be able to get you the help you are looking for if they have a full understanding of what difficulties you may be facing.
How can my child and I prepare for an assessment?
In an assessment, you might be asked what support you are looking for, for your child and family. This is a difficult question if you do not know what is available.
It is really useful to prepare for an assessment by thinking beforehand about what your child needs support with.
Every child is different so the things they need support with will be different. But, it may include things like:
- having difficulties at school – for example, preparing for school in the morning, in the classroom, at break times, doing homework, or at home after school
- difficulties moving
- difficulties at home if your home is not set up well for their needs
- difficulties in social settings
- feeling isolated.
It is helpful to discuss with your child, your family and anyone else involved in your child’s life about what they need support with. Find more tips and advice on this page: Working out what your child needs support with
What happens after an assessment?
After the assessment, the social worker will write a report summarising what they have heard and ask you to check it.
If you do not agree with what has been written in the assessment, you can ask for it to be reviewed.
The council will use the assessment document to decide if your child is eligible for formal, funded support through them.
Whether your child is eligible or not, your council should also signpost you to other services that may be of use to you.
If your child is eligible for support, the next step is to create a plan. Find out more here: Your Child’s Plan
Support for you
Caring for a child who has additional needs can be tiring and stressful. It can also be hard on other members of the family.
When doing the assessment, the social worker will also ask about your home life and who is involved in supporting your child. They are not being nosy – they are asking to see if you might benefit from support yourself.
It is likely that the social worker (or someone else) will do an assessment of your needs as a carer. If there are any other children at home who support your child they will do an assessment of their needs as a young carer too.
These assessments are called an Adult Carer Support Plan and a Young Carer Statement. You can find out more about this process here: Adult Carer Support Plan/ Young Carer Statement
Next steps
Have a look at the next page to help you prepare for the assessment: Working out what your child needs support with
You may find it helpful to speak to a local Independent Support Organisation or Carers’ Centre. They can help you think about what you and your child need support with, and through the assessment process.
You can find your local Independent Support Organisation using the Find Help search tool.
You can find your local Carers’ Centre here.
Many families are able to get an assessment for their child.
But we know that some common issues come up for people.
Here is what do to if any of these things happen to you.
I was told my child could not get an assessment
When you contact your local social work department, you may be asked some initial questions about your child.
The person you speak to may be doing this to try to work out if your child is likely to be eligible for support, before they complete a full assessment.
The law says children under 18 who need additional support have the right to an assessment.
Your council cannot make a decision about whether your child is eligible for support until they have completed an assessment. Your child also does not need a formal diagnosis to ask for an assessment.
You can remind the person you are speaking to about this and explain that your child has the right to an assessment.
Find out more about what the law says in the section: What the law says below.
I have been waiting a long time for an assessment
Unfortunately, social work services are very stretched and it is likely that you will have to wait a long time for an assessment.
When you first contact the social work department, ask how long the current waiting time is. Follow up if you have not heard anything by this time.
You may also find it helpful to speak to a local Independent Support Organisation. They can help you think about what your child and family needs support with, while you wait for the assessment.
You can find details of your local Independent Support Organisation using the Find Help search tool.
I find it really hard to talk about the difficulties my child has
Going through an assessment can be a difficult process for many families. No one likes to think about the difficulties their child has, or the impact on their family.
A good assessment process should focus on what your child can do. It should help you think about what a good life looks like for your child and what support they may need to achieve that.
It can be tempting to play down the difficulties your child is facing. But it is important to be honest during the assessment.
It is really important to look after your own health and wellbeing during this process. It can be really helpful to speak to a Carers’ Centre, or join a peer support group, where you can meet others going through the same thing.
If you have other children they may also find it helpful to contact a Young Carers’ group.
You can find details of local Carers’ Centres and Young Carers’ services here.
The law about support for children is called the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
It says children who are described as ‘in need’, under the age of 18, have the right to an assessment of their needs.
‘In need’ means:
- they are unlikely to achieve or maintain, or to have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a reasonable standard of health or development unless they are provided services by a local authority (council)
- their health or development is likely significantly to be impaired, unless they are provided services by a local authority (council)
- they are disabled
- they are affected adversely by the disability of any other person within their family.
You can find the full text of the law here.