The Looking after Children Materials a Critical Analysis of Their Use in Practice

Margaret Bell discusses some key issues in the use of the Looking After Children materials which arose from their use by social work students and practitioners at the University of York. Overall, the practitioners were positive about the materials, reporting their value for the child in recording a detailed history, and in providing a structure for care planning which incorporated the views of all parties. Equally, concerns were raised that the Assessment and Action Records were not necessarily the most effective or child-centred way of collecting information; that the questioning could be intrusive and that the forms risked placing some artificial boundaries around some key professional decisions. The discussion explores the extent to which an external agenda for practice has the benefits the promoters suggest, and considers whether an essentially bureaucratic system for recording complex and individualistic judgements can double up as a sensitive practice tool.