The Practitioner’s Tool Kit is a resource for practitioners when working with children and families. The Tools support practitioners in their day to day work, to identify and understand what is going on within a family.
It should be noted:
- Not all Tools are appropriate for all families, individuals or situations.
- Practitioners should use the Tools which best support them and the family in appropriately identifying, assessing and responding to their needs.
- Practitioners can and should be creative about how they use or adapt these Tools to make them appropriate to the individual, circumstance or situation.
- This is not an exhaustive list of Tools and more Tools will be added in time. If you are aware of any tools you think the Tool Kit would benefit from and are happy to share them please send them to: LSCP.Info@Leeds.gov.uk
Tools to use when working with parent/carers, children and young people:
- A Day in the Life
- Ecomaps
- Genogram - Adult and Young Person 16 and over
- Genogram - Child 5 to 15 years
- Life Maps
- Sculpting
- Solution Focused Interventions
Tools to aid practitioners with their reflective thinking:
- Chronologies
- Considering the Impact of Parental Mental Health
- Considering the Impact of Parental Problem Drug Use
- Kolbs Cycle of Reflective Practice
- 10 Ways to Improve Assessments
- Working with a young person aged 16 or over going through transition
Things to think about when using the tools:
- Venue and space – you do not need a lot of space however the children or family that you are working with need to feel comfortable and have a sense of privacy
- Time – you need to allow enough time to complete the exercise and to deal with any issues that may emerge. A child may complete the exercise very quickly and may not seem to want to discuss anything in detail. Let their parent/carer or teacher know that they have completed the exercise in case issues arise at a later point
- Resources - make sure that you have a pack of resources available including paper, pens, copies of worksheets, arts and craft materials and small toys etc.
- Comfort - think about drink, food, toilets and anything else a person might need to keep them feeling relaxed and safe. Interruptions such as telephones or people coming in and out, or loud noises that make it hard to concentrate should be avoided.
- Clear brief - ensure that all people participating in the activity understand the process, what they will be expected to think and communicate about, and for what purpose the information will be used.
- Confidentiality - It is important that the participant is aware of any issues of confidentiality. Things to consider include; what happens to any information that is shared in the course of the exercise? Is it discussed outside the room? If so by whom and for what reason? It is important that the participant is made aware of this.
- Ownership – It is important to talk about what will happen with the sheets/paper at the end of the activity. Are you going to make copies or use the information for assessment purposes? The person you are working with needs to know this so that they can make a choice about what to share.
The LSCP would like to acknowledge Leeds Children and Families Service in the development of this Practitioners Tool Kit, including access to the following resources:
- Children folder & Practitioners Assessment Toolkit
- Day in the Life