How DV-ACT Assessments Help Children's Social Workers

DV-ACT is proud to work alongside children's social workers to help them keep children safe from domestic and sexual abuse

We know that children’s social workers are under ever-increasing pressure, and the decisions they have to make can be life or death. An expert assessment can inform these decisions and offer a realistic strategy for risk management.

DV-ACT Assessments help safeguard children from domestic abuse

Our assessments can help social workers as follows:

Safeguarding Children - the welfare of children is our primary focus and always guides our recommendations;

Informed decisions – We offer a level of clarity and insight into the dynamics of abuse and ongoing risks within the family, whether the couple have separated, who the primary perpetrator is and helping with decision making at any stage;

Timescales - We are always keenly aware of the need to move matters forward swiftly, particularly regarding the children's timescales;

Early intervention – Our assessments are suitable for any stage of the local authority’s intervention, including Child in Need, Child Protection or Public Law Outline, as well as court;

Keeping cases out of court - Our Risk Management Plans can often recommend ways forward that are acceptable to all parties, avoiding the need to go to court wherever possible;

Reduce the need for Care Orders – We can often identify treatment options and risk management strategies to reduce the need for care orders and the financial, social and emotional costs of removing children.

"I found the assessment report extremely informative and useful, as a new social worker, I found it invaluable." Feedback from a London Social Worker

Resources

To find out more about what our assessments contain visit our Assessments page.