CS32 Carry out comprehensive assessment for children and young people who use alcohol and other substances

Overview

This standard is about assessing the needs of children and young people who use alcohol and other substances. They may have complex requirements and require more intensive structured care programmes. It covers an assessment that is on-going throughout the contact with the young person's substance use service and the wider support system. It includes: • preparing for a comprehensive assessment for alcohol and other substances • assessing the child or young person's substance use, support network and related problems • assessing possible risks to the child or young person • assessing the child or young person's understanding of services available. This standard relates to substances which may include alcohol, prescription and over-the-counter medicines, controlled or currently legal drugs, and new psychoactive substances. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 1

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. legal, organisational and policy requirements relevant to your role and the activities being carried out
2. the nature, extent and boundaries of your work role and its relationship to others in your own and other organisations
3. the roles of other practitioners working with children, young people and families and how they relate between and across agencies
4. the importance of effective multi-agency working
5. the ethical issues, legal requirements and good practice guidelines on consent, including capacity issues and consent for children and young people
6. the principle of confidentiality and the implications for your practice
7. how to recognise and respond to the signs of injury, abuse or neglect and your responsibility in relation to raising concerns with the appropriate person or agency
8. local systems, procedures and protocols for safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults
9. the principles of equality, diversity and anti-discriminatory practice and how they are applied
10. the duty to report any acts or omissions in care that could be detrimental to the child or young person
11. the rights of children and young people to make decisions for themselves and to take risks in the context of their own lives, taking into account issues of capacity and your professional responsibility
12. how to engage with and communicate effectively with children and young people, and those involved in their care
13. the need for communication to be modified for different contexts and cultures, including the age, vulnerability, understanding, developmental capacity and communication needs and preferences of the child or young person and those involved in their care
14. the ways in which children and young people communicate non-verbally and through behaviour, as well as through language, and how different forms of behaviour can be interpreted
15. the importance of adopting a child/young person centred approach
16. the conditions and issues affecting children and young people in your area of practice and how they can inter-relate
17. child and young people's development, including emotional, physical, and social how they affect one another
18. how the behaviour needs of children and young people may affect others
19. the effect of parenting capacity, family, environment and cultural influences on the health and wellbeing of children and young people
20. the factors that contribute to the risk of harm to children and young people
21. the guidance that is available for your own practice and where to access this
22. current issues, research evidence based practice relevant to your role
23. local sources of health and well-being information, advice and support for children and young people, and those involved in their care
24. how to obtain information from individuals and other agencies in line with protocols
25. how to assess and manage complex needs and co-morbidities
26. the importance of taking into account psychological, social, family, environmental, peer and contextual influences during the assessment
27. how to assess children or young people who are under the influence of alcohol or other substances and the action to take if the assessment cannot be undertaken
28. who can provide support when there are any problems with the assessment
29. how to record the outcomes of assessments and use the assessment to inform the development of a comprehensive care plan
30. the importance of regularly reviewing assessments and risk assessments at appropriate intervals once the child or young person has commenced a programme of care
31. the importance of monitoring the situation regarding a child or young person's use of substances, and how to do so
32. how to assess the risk to children, young people, families and to others from substance use and/or co-existent problems, and the appropriate action to take
33. the differences between patterns of adult and young people's substance use and the implications for engagement and assessment with the child or young person
34. the signs and implications of a range of substance use related problems
35. how age, gender, cultural and social background, including the choice of substance being used can affect the working relationship
36. the range of treatment interventions and assessment services available in your locality and the process for referring children and young people to these services
37. the eligibility criteria and protocols for accessing services in your locality
38. how to respond to children and young people who do not want to be referred to other services
39. the importance of keeping full and accurate records, and how to do so in line with organisational requirements

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. evaluate requests for assessment to determine their priority consistent with your organisation's criteria
2. obtain further information if the initial information is insufficient for effective assessment to take place
3. establish any particular needs of the child or young person or those involved in their care which will need to be taken into account during the assessment from the available information
4. confirm arrangements for the assessment with the child or young person and those involved in their care
5. communicate with the child or young person and those involved in their care in a way that is appropriate to their age, understanding, developmental capacity and preferences
6. identify and respect the child's or young person's privacy, confidentiality, rights and wishes
7. clarify and confirm with the child or young person and those involved in their care, the information which may need to be shared with others within the boundaries of confidentiality
8. give the child or young person and those involved in their care any documentation which needs to be completed by them to allow them to consider it before the assessment
9. offer appropriate support to individuals who need assistance to complete documentation
10. explain to the child or young person and those involved in their care the nature and duration of the assessment, the type of information which will be entered in their records and who will have the right of access to this information
11. conduct the assessment in line with locally agreed criteria and using the correct documentation
12. involve the child or young person in the assessment as far as possible according to their capability
13. review information obtained from previous assessments completed within your organisation or by others involved in the child or young person's care
14. collect information from the child or young person, exploring historical factors as well as presenting factors
15. assess the child or young person's understanding of services available and readiness to engage in a treatment and/or support programme
16. identify barriers or resistances to engagement and respond appropriately, in a manner which proactively engages the child or young person
17. establish the level of motivation of the child or young person to engage with services and make changes to their substance use
18. respond to challenging, abusive, aggressive or chaotic behaviour
19. assess any risk to the child or young person and those involved in their care which may result from substance use according to locally agreed protocols
20. encourage the child or young person and those involved in their care to ask questions, seek advice and express any concerns
21. assess the nature of the child or young person's substance use problems and any other problems they may have
22. use the results of the assessment to inform the collaborative care plan
23. keep accurate, legible and complete records of the assessment to inform the development of a care plan and for evaluation purposes
24. assess and review at appropriate intervals once the child or young person has commenced a care plan
25. provide accurate and clear information on how to make a complaint about the assessment system and how to appeal the decision
26. seek support from the appropriate person as soon as possible when there are any problems with the assessment
27. ensure your assessment records are in a format and level of detail which can be audited against locally agreed standards
28. record and report changes made and any effect this might have on the child or young person within confidentiality agreements and according to legal and organisational requirements
29. share information with others in accordance with organisational procedures

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: HWB2 Assessment and care planning to meet health and wellbeing needs