Community Based Assessments

Community-Based Assessments (CBAs) are an approach to child protection that focuses on assessing families within their own home and community, rather than separating children and placing them in care or within residential or other unfamiliar settings. The aim is to build a more realistic picture of parenting capacity, family dynamics, and risk by observing everyday life, while also identifying strengths and the potential for positive change. 

In practice, CBAs (sometimes known as reverse residential assessments) are typically supported by intensive family support input that feeds into the social work assessment of parenting capacity and risk. This would usually begin with 24/7 support and monitoring in the family home and gradually reduce as risk levels are better understood/decrease.

This approach also enables family support professionals to actively support families through guidance, feedback, and practical help in real time. Moreover, CBA assessment outcomes help generate best possible evidence which then informs professional analysis and, ultimately, decisions in court. 

A key advantage of CBAs is that they help preserve family relationships wherever it is safe, and avoid the emotional harm that can come with separation. CBAs offer a much more cost-effective alternatives than the other two child safeguarding and assessment options inherent to high risk child protection matters.

CBAs require solid professional experience and expertise, strong safeguards, clear boundaries and goals, close monitoring of family interactions and child welfare.

At AG Family Support Ltd we have delivered CBAs, nationally, over the past 10 years.

If you are looking to learn more about our Community Based Assessments service please complete our family support enquiry form

  • Please complete an enquiry form contact our Head Office on 0800 999 1456 (choose option 6), or email us‍ ‍

    CBA enquiries can be made by anyone. However, CBA referrals should come from local authority social workers, solicitors or Family Court Advisors (CAFCASS).

  • Although AGFS has a national presence and reach, its family support teams are currently concentrated within the SouthEast and East Anglia. CBAs require significant human resources and management support and thus our ability to attend to assignments further afield (such as the rest of England and Wales) would closely depend on the availability of our family support workers to travel to and stay in any given other area, at any given time.

    However, it is part of our company’s strategy to establish close professional relationships with local authorities throughout the UK, where we could set up dedicated CBA Teams if the demand for the CBA service is strong and consistent.

  • An assessment of parenting capacity and risk, in the context of a CBA, can be completed either by one of our company’s Independent Social Workers (ISWs), or an in-house local authority social worker, depending on the service commissioners preference. Our ISW’s have significant experience in CBAs within a Public Law arena

  • AGFS is a national leader in culturally-sensitive ISW family assessments. Some of our ISWs do speak other languages and are able to engage with certain client groups in a culturally-competent way. Where a bilingual ISW is not available, we would always seek to secure cultural consultancy and language support from a professional-grade  interpreter.

    Please note that cultural sensitivity can only be applied to a parenting assessment process and not to intensive family support input.

  • The cost of a CBA package would depend on the required CBA duration and intensity. Typically, a CBA would start with one or two weeks of 24/7 Family Support cover, then reduce to 12h per day for 2-3 weeks, then to 8h per day for the reminder of our involvement. Parenting assessments under CBAs require between 8 and 10 weeks. Please contact us to discuss your requirements and our rates.