![]() We’ll go over each step and explain what social workers will be looking for. So, what do they look for in a home study? To help you understand the basic home study requirements, we’ve broken them down into three main steps. The point of the home study is to ensure that you’re prepared for what’s ahead, that every placement is safe, and that it’s in the best interest of the child. In each, a licensed social worker reviews a hopeful adoptive family’s living situation and evaluates their aptitude for adoption. Hackney and Barking and Dagenham councils both said online visits were used only in exceptional circumstances, while Newham Council said it was “agreed” that some visits would be virtual due to there being “a potential risk of Covid-19”.The home study is made up of several parts. Haringey Council said virtual visits were used “only when Covid is an issue in the family or with the practitioners”. Professor Harry Ferguson, one of the co-authors, told The Independent: “What social workers typically did was adopt a hybrid approach where they… blended some of that on-screen case work with still doing some visits to the home.” Though there were “some significant limitations” placed on social workers, he added, “they still managed to do lots of effective practice”.Ī Department for Education spokesperson said its guidance made clear a child’s welfare was the priority in any decision on visits, and risk assessments had been carried out before any move to virtual visits. Academics from Birmingham University and one from Monash University in Australia interviewed nearly 50 social workers, managers and family support workers in four English local authorities from April 2020 to December 2020. Some of the points were echoed in a second piece of research published in May. This was a particular issue when talking to children at risk of abuse/neglect and parents experiencing domestic abuse.” Social workers had no way of knowing who might be listening to the call. “It was difficult to ensure both confidentiality and safety during virtual visits. Workers were concerned that they would be blamed for difficult decisions they had made in these circumstances. As a consequence, social workers were worried about keeping children safe during lockdown. “Many felt that their judgments about child safety were ‘less robust’ as a result. “Social workers noted that it was increasingly difficult to detect ‘hidden risks’ during virtual home visits,” the research said. However, academics noted virtual visits had “significant limitations” for initial assessments and high-risk cases. Many social workers described developing closer relationships with families and becoming more familiar with their everyday lives during lockdown.” Researchers added: “The ‘little and often’ approach encouraged by virtual working was welcomed by some families. A summary of the findings, published in July 2020, stated: “All but the most urgent home visits were replaced by virtual interactions.” However, in medium or lower risk cases, families and children “were visited less frequently, and these contacts were typically virtual, conducted via platforms such as WhatsApp, FaceTime or Skype”. University of East Anglia academics, who interviewed 31 child and family social workers across nine English local authorities between March and June last year, found children and families rated “red” – high risk – had been “prioritised for essential face-to-face visits, and/or frequent virtual visits”. The majority of other councils contacted by The Independent said they were not doing visits virtually, or only in Covid isolation cases and exceptional circumstances. Meanwhile, in the second week of December, 9 per cent of “child in need” and 4 per cent of “child protection” visits were virtual in Merton, southwest London. Some 6 per cent of “child protection” and 10 per cent of “child in need” visits were virtual. In the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, one in seven visits was online in November. Kent County Council, the country’s largest, conducted 6.6 per cent of visits virtually last month. ![]() In Newham, also in London, 11 per cent were conducted virtually in the same month for those on “child protection” plans and “child in need” plans– those deemed vulnerable but not at immediate risk. ![]() In nearby Hackney one in 10 visits to children on “child protection” plans – those suffering or at risk of significant harm – were not carried out face-to-face in November. In November, 15 per cent were carried out online. A snapshot survey of some of the biggest councils in England by The Independent found that in the London borough of Haringey – the authority at the centre of the “Baby P” scandal – one in six children and family social workers’ visits were conducted virtually in the month up to 17 December, accounting for 156 visits.
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