Independent Assessments / Investigations

Skills in assessing

Sara is highly skilled in the ability to undertake independent assessment work. She has undertaken assessments of prospective foster carers, adoptive parents and kinship carers, including undertaking assessments for the Disabled Children Short Breaks Service. She is committed to ensuring that assessments are comprehensive, evidence-based, grounded in theory, holistic, with a thorough and fair analysis and clear recommendations. All such pieces of work include undertaking a variety of risk assessments to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child, carer, and local community.

Child Focussed

Sara is a professional who ensures that the needs of the child are always paramount and remain the focus of any such assessment and that where appropriate (for example when undertaking child specific assessments), the voice of the child is ascertained and considered.

Quality Assurance

As well as being able to undertake independent assessments, Sara is also efficient in the quality assurance of such assessments. Sara’s management experience, alongside her proven ability to undertake such assessments lead to her performing the quality assurance role for an agency who undertook such assessments on behalf of a Local Authority.

Independent Investigations

Sara is able to undertake Independent Investigations, having been an Investigating Officer for a number of complaints, misconduct and disciplinary processes. Ensuring a fair, robust and thorough investigation that is evidence-based is of paramount importance for Sara.