International Social Work Assessments

What is International Social Work Assessment?

Within the social work landscape, the concept of “looked-after” children, and ways of supporting them have changed significantly over recent years. Numerous children in care have family members living in another country. This has led to an increased demand for international social work assessments. For those looked-after children, who are unable to return home to their parents in the United Kingdom, it’s important to consider whether they’re able to live within their extended family, even if that family is based outside the UK, and is in the best interest of the child.

​

Assessments need to be thorough, direct, and analytical, which gives the potential carers, the best chance to present their ability to parents. This usually means that it’s often better to assess them, within their home country, in order to see the type of potential environment the child could be sent to. Although all children across the globe have the same integral basic needs, it’s essential that any assessor is sensitive to cultural or religious differences, mores, nuances, and needs. The assessor needs to evaluate whether the child can live safely within the family, community, and the wider jurisdiction. They need to make confident and well-informed recommendations based on the welfare of the child and based on professional judgment, which our team of independent social workers, has demonstrated through years of experience.