Knowledge and Understanding - Level 9

Students need to be able to demonstrate that they can apply the legal framework to practice situations accurately and appropriately. Regardless of their practice learning setting, students will be expected to apply their knowledge of the responsibility of the local authority to children in need. For example, a worker in an adult mental health team would consider their responsibilities towards the child of a service user.

Students should be able to actively demonstrate how they have used relevant guidance in their practice learning opportunity.

Students should have the opportunity to learn and use models of assessment within the HEI setting. Within the general context of assessment we recommend that there is teaching on risk assessment in child care and protection. The Eilean Siar inspection report quoting from the Department of Health (2001) states "...any decision making requires a high level of professional judgment and qualitative assessment" (2005, 37). Consequently students should demonstrate their application of these models in practice learning settings. Key documents students ought to read would include DoH Framework for Assessment (2000) and the Scottish Executive Consultative Document, "Getting it Right for Every Child" (2005) which includes a comprehensive assessment framework.

Students should build on their knowledge of child development to identify key factors which increase vulnerability and risk and reduce resilience in children and young people. We recommend that students should receive specialist up to date teaching on the impact of substance misuse, domestic violence and mental health on parenting capacity and child development. Specialist practitioners might participate in the assessment of students as well as the delivery of material. The 21st Century Review (2006) recommended the development of "Practitioner Lecturers" and this may be helpful in ensuring that taught material continues to reflect practice issues.

Students need to demonstrate an understanding of the nature of long term intervention in child care and protection. For example, they should be familiar with Looked After Children (LAC) materials and guidance. Students need to have knowledge of the different forms of substitute care and make links to the teaching on child development, separation and loss. Students need to demonstrate that they have linked their knowledge about the potential for abuse in residential and foster care (perpetrated by adults or other children/ young people) to their role and responsibilities.

Students should develop their understanding of child care and protection in a changing context demonstrating how they have applied this to their practice. Students also need to demonstrate a critical understanding of how current social developments can influence policy and practice in relation to child care and protection. For example, students could research the impact of the Inquiry in to the death of Caleb Ness (O'Brien, 2004) on the child protection registration of infants.

Reder, Duncan and Gray highlighted that one feature which stood out of the 35 inquiries they reviewed was "flawed inter-agency communication" (1993, 60). In their practice learning opportunities and while at university students will be expected to demonstrate that they can translate effective inter-agency communication in to practice.