Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research

Early help in early years: developing a universal assessment tool

Redwood, T., Neill, S., Church, S. and Spencer, M. (2018) Early help in early years: developing a universal assessment tool. Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing. , pp. 1-13. 2469-4193.

Item Type: Article
Abstract: Effective assessment tools are an essential element of early identification of problems, enabling early intervention in the first two or so years of life. This article reports on the development and evaluation of a Universal Assessment Tool for Early Help in Early Years. The project aim was to develop, pilot and evaluate a new universal assessment tool named “My Family Profile” for use within Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, from pregnancy until a child reaches 2/2.5 years of age. A flowchart demonstrates the stages of the process including how each step contributed toward the tool and end report (Neill et al., 2015). The project used an intervention design enabling collaborative inter-agency working and ensured parents were engaged throughout the process. The methods used in developing the tool incorporated collaborative working, content analysis, format requirements, questioning styles and information sharing. The tool was evaluated using focus groups and individual interviews with parents, an online evaluation questionnaire and audit of completed assessment forms with practitioners. The resulting report (Neill et al., 2015) contained “My Family Profile” highlighted five key recommendations: (1) It is developed in a digital format with secure “cloud” storage, accessible from all IT platforms in use by child health/care professionals; (2) it is implemented with a comprehensive training program for professionals; (3) it is formally evaluated following implementation; (4) it is extended up to school entry and through school years; and (5) it is developed for use within other locations in the United Kingdom.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Development, early help, early years, universal assessment
Creators: Redwood, Tracey, Neill, Sarah, Church, Sarah and Spencer, Melinda
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: Faculties > Faculty of Health & Society > Nursing
Date: 9 April 2018
Date Type: Published Online
Page Range: pp. 1-13
Journal or Publication Title: Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing
Number of Pages: 13
Language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24694193.2018.1457104
ISSN: 2469-4193
Status: Published / Disseminated
Refereed: Yes
URI: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/10940

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