Local Authority Assessments
Shaping planning and decision making for families in the community
Working with local authorities through robust, evidence-based assessments for over 20 years
Over the last two decades, Carter Brown has delivered a variety of services to local authorities. Our network of over 700 experts, including paediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, independent social workers and therapists holds a wealth of experience in working with children, young people, families and carers.
Our assessments can be completed at any stage in a local authority’s involvement with a family; we are also able to offer both short and long term interventions for families and individuals to support with a variety of presenting issues. We also have a vast array of experience in assisting local authorities with carer recruitment.
Ready to make a referral?
It only takes 5 minutes, an expert pack with CVs, costs and timescales can be sent to you in as little as 30 minutes if you’re at court.
We are mindful of the requirement to comply with the PLO timescales, our assessments can be filed in 6 weeks or sooner.
Our network of experts
Robust, evidence-based assessment services for local authorities
Independent social workers have always been at the core of what we do. We recognise the value of a robust, evidence-based assessment in terms of shaping planning and decision making for families. Our independent social workers engage with families in the community and possess a diverse set of skills and experience. As a minimum, they each have five years’ post-qualification experience in children and families’ teams.
Our independent social workers can:
- Assess parenting, using a range of assessment models, including CUBAS and ParentAssess
- Assist in care planning through the provision of Viability, Connected Persons and Special Guardianship assessments
- Undertake assessments of prospective foster carers and adopters
- Supervise contact sessions, providing detailed written recordings
- Support with Stage 2 complaint investigations, as either an Independent Investigator or Independent Person
- Sit as panel members on Stage 3 complaint panels
- Offer carers supervision and support.
Our experts have experience in working with families from diverse backgrounds and communities, in different situations. All assessments are completed in line with best practice. Our experts have experience of working with interpreters, and, in some cases, in completing assessments in a second language.
One of our key values is around providing a high quality service at reasonable cost to the clients we work with. We further support this by offering some assessments at fixed fees for local authority clients or by applying volume discounts to support during busier periods when additional assessment resources are required.
Ready to make a referral?
It only takes 5 minutes, an expert pack with CVs, costs and timescales can be sent to you in as little as 30 minutes if you’re at court.
We are mindful of the requirement to comply with the PLO timescales, our assessments can be filed in 6 weeks or sooner.
Assessments we can deliver
We strive to offer a high quality, professional service that provides direct access to experienced professionals when you need it.
Our unique approach
Carter Brown are one of the UK’s leading multidisciplinary assessment service, providing assessments, consultancy and training to Solicitors, Local Authorities, Organisations and the courts. So what makes us market leaders?
Quality
We provide a variety of in-built systems to support our experienced experts, these include active case management through one point of contact, an in-house proofreading team and professional consultation. When you make a referral to us, you’ll always receive a full estimate of costs, including a breakdown of your time and expenses.
Convenience
We manage each referral individually, matching the needs of your assessment to the expertise and experience of our experts. From one point of contact we will manage the referral and assessment process for you. Our aim is to save you time by providing an accessible and flexible service that immediately meets your assessment needs.
Best value
Our service is completely transparent; we provide expert witness assessments within Legal Aid Agency guidelines and other assessment or project work is completed within a fixed fee. Our robust safer recruitment process validates relevant expertise, excellent practice and compliance including DBS checks, references, professional registration and insurances.