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Assessment
This section considers assessment in a broad sense. It is assumed that risk and elgibility to the project have already been assessed.
This section should be read in conjunction with the section on the Relationship in Theory.
In the assessment, we are seeking to look with the client at their history, which has brought them to this point. The assessment will identify the housing, support and health care needs the person may have that will affect their re-housing, and the eventual sustainment of their tenancy.
Outline of section
Aims | Principles | Tasks | Recording/reporting/decision making | Elements of the assessment | Co-ordination | Advocacy | Skills of the worker | Evaluation
Aims
- To enable the client to complete a self assessment of his/her needs and wants.
- Informed by this, to assit in identifying and clarifying both the client's needs and wants.
- To assess the support and housing needs of the client.
- To identify the client's relevant skills e.g. coping and survival skills they have learned on the streets.
- To promote self-assessment and self awareness by the client.
- To identify the best available option for the client.
Principles
General principles for assessment
- Assessments are approximations, best seen as a process with constant readjustments rather than a discrete event. Factors that contribute to the assessment will present at referral, introduction, and throughout the building of the relationship.
- The duration of the information gathering period varies in services, depending on their proximity to referring agencies, the timescale funded, and realistic move-on timescales. Just building the basic relationship and covering the assessment can take four or more sessions. Realistically, the fewer housing options a service has at its disposal, the less time they need spend assessing what would really be ideal for an individual, as the pressing reality of availability may overshadow this. There is little value in spending a long time on assessing a person's needs and wants if there is no choice in what is on offer.
Tasks
Stages of assessment
Assessment is the process by which information is gathered in order to make a decision. In this case:
- Collecting information through:
- forms and correspondence
- interview and observation
- contact with other organisations.
- Interpretation by considering:
- the client's wishes
- the resettlement worker's own technical knowledge - other people's technical knowledge.
- Updating through:
- observation
- discussion
- formal reviews: three months/six months/one year.
Recording/reporting/decision making
Good recording practice often leads to good assessment, as you can quickly see the gaps in your information. The discipline of constructing a written argument forces a reasoned approach. This is all helped by good form design, so that you can collect the right information in the right order:
- Why
- How
- When
will we ask the questions needed?
Elements of the assessment
There is a vast range of issues you may want to consider in the assessment process. Here we group them broadly into two categories, social and health considerations.
Health considerations
- Current health
- Diagnosis
- Medication
- History of illness
- Alcohol/drug use
- Any special needs.
Ensure that the client signs a informed consent form permitting the worker to contact any further agencies deemed necessary in their Resettlement support plan and with the client gather relevant information from agencies involved with the client both historically or presently. Draw the client's attention to the positive outcomes this may have on their future housing applications.
- The purpose of the assessment meeting is to:
- To discuss and clarify the information supplied by the keyworkers.
- To assess the individual's motivation and readiness for resettlement (e.g. were they on time; drinking or using substances; able to understand the housing options?)
If further information is needed this will be gathered where possible and discussed with the client before moving on to the next stage.
The referral will be discussed with the keyworkers, team leader and other resettlement workers (if any), at the next review meeting. They will agree on whether the person is ready to start the resettlement process and an appropriate programme of resettlement for the client.
Co-ordination
- To help clients towards self assessment, advise them fully on all available options, and the consequences of choosing a particular option.
- The resettlement worker is the co-ordinator and facilitator of the process.
- Ensuring that the client has specialist assessments for substance dependency, and mental health where appropriate
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Advocacy
- Supporting the client through any appeals process where necessary
- Supporting the client to access services that may be appropriate and of use to them, given the issues outlined in the assessment.
Skills of the worker
Knowledge of:
- housing legislation
- welfare benefits
- lifeskills
- training and employment issues
- multi-agency working, how to involve clients in this process
Skills
- communication skills - active listening, paraphrase and clarification
- motivational interviewing skills
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Evaluation
- Ensuring that the client understands the assessment process, why the questions are being aksed and what the purpose of the assessment is.
- As far as possible, engaging the client in every section and aspect of determining strengths and needs
- Did the assessment produce results for the client?
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Social and civil considerations
As such, the worker having a full understanding of what has worked and not worked in the past should help the client in finding the best accommodation.
Taking a housing history early on in the process has value, for most people the questions will not feel too intrusive. The information may show, for example, that an individual has never had the opportunity to learn about managing their own home, or alternatively, it may show that they clearly have. Direct questions can be awkward, and do not always generate accurate answers. Histories provide sources of further information, such as hostels used in the past, or identify failed previous attempts at rehousing, allowing you and the client the opportunity to address the needs.
What if the client refuses to give all their housing history? In these circumstances most agencies would explain to the client that they are unable to refer them to the housing option of their choice if they cannot provide proper information. It may be that the client fears the information will be used against them. You should assure them that the intention is to help get an understanding of their needs rather than to find a way of denying them the accommodation they want.
As mentioned above, meaningful occupation, or to paraphrase Emmaus's ethos - "a bed and a reason to get out of it" a positive activity, interest or educational, artistic or otherwise meaningful pursuit can help ease the transition and provide relief to the other changes in a person's life. The more you know about what makes a person happy, the better you can plan together acceess points to that reassurance and happiness in the new environment.