Tracey Redwood

Early help in early years: developing a universal assessment tool

ABSTRACT Effective assessment tools are an essential element of early identification of problems, enabling early intervention in the first two or so years of life. This article reports on the development and evaluation of a Universal Assessment Tool for Early Help in Early Years. The project aim was to develop, pilot and evaluate a new universal assessment tool named “My Family Profile” for use within Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, from pregnancy until a child reaches 2/2.5 years of age. A flowchart demonstrates the stages of the process including how each step contributed toward the tool and end report (Neill et al., 2015). The project used an intervention design enabling collaborative inter-agency working and ensured parents were engaged throughout the process. The methods used in developing the tool incorporated collaborative working, content analysis, format requirements, questioning styles and information sharing. The tool was evaluated using focus groups and individual interviews with parents, an online evaluation questionnaire and audit of completed assessment forms with practitioners. The resulting report (Neill et al., 2015) contained “My Family Profile” highlighted five key recommendations: (1) It is developed in a digital format with secure “cloud” storage, accessible from all IT platforms in use by child health/care professionals; (2) it is implemented with a comprehensive training program for professionals; (3) it is formally evaluated following implementation; (4) it is extended up to school entry and through school years; and (5) it is developed for use within other locations in the United Kingdom.

G44 Early start in early years: Evaluating a vulnerable first time parent programme

Background and Purpose An evaluation of an outreach service programme for vulnerable first time parents with a focus on parental well-being to assist the family. It is delivered by health visitors, early childhood practitioners and family nursing support staff in Central England. The programme is transformative in that it addresses family health issues by enabling support to centre on the lives of those children born at a disadvantage through education of their parents. Evaluation This paper considers the review process including the operational aspects from the family nurses’ perspective. It incorporated an analysis of parental self-efficacy tools used within the programme. Methods A mixed methodology (Frost, 2011) was proposed to draw on appropriate outcome measures. The qualitative component of the research involved recorded individual semi-structured telephone interviews, analysed thematically (Braun & Clark 2006) to reveal patterns of response in participants’ experience of the intervention and its impact. The outcome measures were then analysed statistically, using SPSS to explore the impact of the Early Start Programme. Descriptive statistics were used to describe service elements while demographic and descriptive information on age, ethnicity, referral source, number of sessions attended enabled a description of the service. Findings The study explored the perceptions and experiences of the parents and the professionals co-ordinating and facilitating a programme focussing on vulnerable families. In exploring the impact of the programme, socio-economic outcomes (e.g. removal into care and relative costs benefits), parental, professional experiences and course completion were explored. Professional dedication, flexible working patterns and adaptive measures enabled these families to thrive often despite difficult physical, mental and economic factors. Conclusions This research provided an understanding of the outcomes of the intervention for families. It enabled an exploration of the intervention at a service delivery level and an overview of the impact of the programme.