Single Agency Wellbeing Assessment (Education)
In education, wellbeing assessments should be on-going, holistic, and consider contributing factors at the level of the individual child or young person, the school, the home and the community. The overarching aim of the wellbeing assessment is to identify strengths and protective factors, as well as the vulnerabilities and risks present in the life of the child or young person. A robust and accurate assessment will allow practitioners to identify, with clarity and precision, SMART outcomes and support strategies that are conducive to ensuring the child or young person is safe, healthy, active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible and included.
Education staff should make use of the National Practice Model to complete a wellbeing assessment and child’s plan, alongside the following six key questions:
- What is getting in the way of this child or young person’s wellbeing?
- Do I have all the information I need to help this child or young person?
- What can I do now to help this child or young person?
- What can my agency do to help this child or young person?
- What additional help, if any, may be needed from others?
- What is the view of the child or young person and the family?
In the context of a single agency (Education) assessment, practitioners will need to evidence that they have used the 8 wellbeing wheel indicators and the six key questions. However, staff can make use of the resilience matrix and the my world triangle where they consider it appropriate. In a multi-agency assessment, all three components of the National Practice Model must be evidenced. Tools for Assessment have been developed to support staff in their wellbeing assessments.
Staff should use the 6 key questions within the context of each wellbeing indicator when conducting a wellbeing assessment. In all cases, assessment and intervention should be the least intrusive and most effective available that leads to the best possible wellbeing outcome. Any additional help and support provided should be appropriate, proportionate and timely, and be coordinated in such a way as to make the best use of each practitioner’s skills and abilities.
Staff are expected to take a holistic, person-centred view of children and young people, keeping their wellbeing at the centre throughout the cycle of planning, action and review. It is important to acknowledge and build on the child or young person’s strengths, and to promote and develop their resilience. Staff are also expected to work in partnership with children, young people, their parents / carers and other agencies. Wherever possible, children, young people and families should be supported to make informed choices and decisions.
Due to the holistic nature of the eight wellbeing indicators, all factors giving rise to the need for a plan will be appropriately categorised under one or more wellbeing indicator. Where an individual outcome is relevant to a number of wellbeing indictors within a child’s plan, school staff should choose the one indicator that is the ‘best fit’.
