Step 4: The Assessment
The Recovery Assessment process will collate information and interpretation from each service delivery area (Therapeutic Parenting, Life Story and Therapy) to gather a multi-perspective understanding of the child’s recovery.
The Aims and Objectives
- To support Recovery and behavioural change
- To deliver an assessment/measurement process which is effective
- To improve integration of all of the services within the recovery process
- To aid discussion among professionals at six-monthly reviews of the child’s recovery
- To provide data to quantify recovery
- To be a tool to improve practice within the service delivery
- To provide a forum for decision making
- To provide a framework to avoid drift and aimless practice
- To score from 1 - 4; improvements to the internal working model against the 6 areas of development over time.
The Internal Working Model
The Internal Working Model (Bowlby, 1969) is the cognitive representation of early attachment relationships. Based on attachments with primary caregivers (e.g. secure, avoidant, ambivalent and disorganised), children develop beliefs and expectations about themselves, others and life in general.
These early attachment experiences become internalised as core beliefs and anticipatory images that influence later perceptions, emotions and reactions to others. According to Levy and Orlans (1998, Pg. 46) Internal Working Models are not entirely conscious but, once established are resistant to change. However, with appropriate experiences the child’s Internal Working Model can change and become modified.
Only when the child's Internal Working Model has changed will the behaviours evidenced in a safe contained therapeutic environment be transferable to a foster family or similar external setting without concern for regression or reversion.
