(You can download the guidance below in a PDF document here.) WHEN THERE IS NO ANSWER WHEN YOU KNOCK: If the family does not answer the door when you knock, listen to/observe any signs of people being present in the If you believe that somebody is…
Category: Assessment
Parenting styles tool
Parenting style has a significant impact on children’s outcomes and tend to fit under one of four categories: authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, and neglectful. This tool developed by Cafcass enables parents/carers with the help of a practitioner to consider what parenting style they have and how…
Three Islands Activity guidance, template & record sheets
‘Three islands’ is a fun direct work activity which enabels social workers and other practitioners to establish what and who children they work with like and what or who they don’t like or are worried about. The child is asked to draw a picture of…
Parents, Pints & Pills: Booklet for young people who live with someone with a drug or alcohol problem
A booklet designed by young carers for young people who live with someone with a drug or alcohol problem. CONTENTS: Introduction Welcome What is substance misuse? Why do people start to use? Signs that someone needs help to stop Drugs and alcohol Cannabis Heroin Alcohol Mixing…
Home Visit Observations of Parent-Child Interactions Questionnaire/Checklist
The toolkit, Parent-Child Interactions: A Home Visitor’s Guide, provides social workers and other practitioners with tips and tools to make the most of the opportunity to observe and influence parent-child interactions. The toolkit includes the following useful tools: Home Visitation Observations of Parent-Child Interactions Template…
All about me: Direct work sheets & activities (booklet)
This colourful and interactive booklet developed by Socialworkerstoolbox.com is a collection of 40 sheets which practitioners can use to learn about children’s views, wishes, feelings and day-to-day lives. Click here to view/download CONTENTS: What makes me feel Feelings thermometer My worries What makes me safe Things…
Feelings faces: How do you feel today?
A poster with 60+ faces depicting a range of emotions which can be used during 1:1 direct work with children and young people. Click here to view/download
My Feelings Colouring Chart
My feelings colouring chart enables children to indicate how happy they are in the areas of friends, home, hobbies, school, family and all about you. Click here to view/download
Child and Youth Participation Toolkit (wishes/feelings direct work worksheets/activities)
This is a great resource (developed by Tusla Child and Family Agency) containing many ready-to-print out worksheets for children and young people as well as suggestions for various activities – all to enable workers to really get to know the children/young people’s wishes, feelings, needs…
30+ tools for 1:1 work with children (assessment, planning & intervention)
The Kids Central Toolkit aims to provide workers and services with information, resources and tools to use child-centred approaches in their work with children, young people and families. The Toolkit is based around six key principles that support child-centred practice, and each principle includes a…
Direct Work Resource Pack
A compilation of various tools for direct work with children and young people. Click here to view/download Contents SECTION 1 Initial visits and getting to know the child or YP SECTION 2 Completing the C&F assessment and basic tools to use (and any of these…
My feelings workbook: naming & exploring emotions
The workbook enables workers to explain the meaning of various emotions/feelings and promotes a conversation with children about in which situations they experience the discussed emotion. Click here to view/download
This is my World: Gathering child’s views on self, family, friendships, school, illness & the future
This workbook has been created as a psychotherapeutic tool for therapists to use in working with children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with a medical illness but can be utilised by any practitioners trying to establish children’s/young people’s views, wishes and feelings. The activities…
Dog risk assessment form
Below is a template created by British Association for Adoption and Fostering for assessing suitability/significance of a dog in relation to fostering or adoption and considering what actions need to be taken to reduce any foreseeable risks. The form can be, however, also used when assessing…
Female genital mutilation (FGM) risk assessment templates
The document contains four risk assessment templates assisting social worker to consider the following: Part One (a): PREGNANT WOMEN (OR HAS RECENTLY GIVEN BIRTH) This is to help social workers make a decision as to whether the unborn child (or other female children in the…
Home conditions observation record/framework
This sheet is an excellent tool which provides social workers with a structure/framework to observe and record home conditions. The framework considers living area, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and garden. We recommend that social workers complete this with the family or ask the family to highlight…
Observations Checklist: what to look for in assessing attachment and bonding (tool)
Attachment and Bonding Checklist outlines what behaviours in children and parent/carer an observer should look for when assessing a child’s attachment style. Click here to view/download
Children’s Participation Toolkit for Social Workers (activities & worksheets)
The booklet contains various activities, worksheets and templates assisting social workers and early help workers to involve children in the process of assessments, intervention planning as well as conducting reviews in a positive, supportive and enabling way. Click here to view/download Chapter 1 – Contents, acknowledgements…
‘Say it your own way’: 40+ worksheets facilitating children’s participation in assessment
A great compilation of 40+ engaging worksheets facilitating children’s participation in an assessment of them. The worksheets help workers to ascertain children’s daily routine, likes, dislikes, feelings, wishes as well as their views on their family, friends, helpers, home, neighbourhood, school etc. The booklet also…
Pre-Birth Assessment Tool
This Pre-Birth Assessment Tool is designed to help professionals to carefully consider a range of issues in relation to the mother’s pregnancy and the family’s circumstances and to tease out issues that have potential for having a significant negative impact on the child. The tool draws…
‘Animal talk’ activity: Using animal pictures to get to know children and discuss their views and feelings
The tool contains 24 pictures of various animals and suggestions how they can be used to get to know children and discuss their views and feelings in an interactive and fun way. Click here to view/download the tool as a pdf file Click here to view/download…
Child Protection: Consultation with children toolkit
This beautifully illustrated guide describes various interactive techniques which social workers can use to engage children in a child protection process. The booklet not only provides various tips on activities which can be used but also contains a range of tools which professionals can print out. Contents: 1….
Getting to know a child’s routine activity tool
This tool supports social workers to gain an understanding of a child’s or young person’s daily routine in an engaging way. The document contains 40+ individual slips with various activities/feelings which a child is asked to sort out into three piles – every day, sometimes…
Young carers – assessment tools
The Manual below contains two instruments for the assessment of caring: The Multidimensional Assessment of Caring Activities (MACA-YC18) is a questionnaire (an 18-item self-report measure) that can be used to provide an index of the total amount of caring activity undertaken by the young person,…
Ecomap Activity
Creating an ecomap is a graphic and useful way of identifying all of the systems at play in the family’s life. The ecomaps give workers a detailed picture of: the family dynamics ; each individual family members’ connections to their community; each individual family members’ connections…
Sexual behaviours traffic light tool
Using the resource, professionals can learn to identify, assess and respond to sexual behaviour in children and young people in a confident and appropriate manner. It can be also used when explaining to parents/carers what constitutes healthy sexual behaviour and how to identify when their…
Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional Development Screening Tool (ASQ:SE-2)
ASQ:SE-2 is a set of questionnaires about children’s social-emotional development from 6 to 60 months which can be self-administered by parents/caregivers. Doing this screening provides a quick look at how children are doing in important areas, such as self-regulation, communication, autonomy, compliance, adaptive functioning, affect,…
How it looks to me (Assessing wishes & feelings worksheets)
‘How it looks to me’ is an interactive and colourful booklet developed by CAFCASS to help social workers assess a child’s wishes and feelings. The Child Impact Tool is a resource to help vulnerable children describe how any continuing significant harm they have experienced is affecting their life….
Explore your emotions – coloring & activity book
This coloring book was designed to encourage children to share their feelings with an adult. The children are encouraged to talk/write about what makes them happy, upset and worried; about things they like to do by themselves or with their family and who they like…
Solution-focused practice – A toolkit for children & young people (44 tools, games, activities, exercises)
The toolkit presents ideas for worksheets and activities developed by NSPCC practitioners to be used with children and young people aged 5-19 years old during solution-focused work. Solution-focused practice concentrates on helping people move towards the future that they want and to learn what can…