Trauma-Informed Parenting Capacity Assessment

Description

The course describes how children are harmed by parents who abuse them, psychological factors that cause harmful parenting and what information about the parent-child relationship is required to make trauma-informed decisions about the child’s care. It is orientated around an evidence-based clinical approach primarily informed by contemporary attachment theory as a way of conceptualizing the parent-child relationship.

The course:

· Explains the psychological processes underpinning abuse and neglect and how these can be identified to inform decision making.

· Identifies relevant clinical information required to determine the care needs of the child, the sensitivity of the parent to the child’s needs and the safety of the context within which the parent-child relationship takes place.

· Describes the Psychological Parenting Capacity Checklist, a framework designed to aid decision-making through organisation of clinical information available and to determine whether further assessment is required to make trauma-responsive decisions about the parent’s capacity to care for their child.

Part one describes what trauma is and the relational nature of attachment trauma, which occurs when parents abuse or neglect their child.

Part two outlines the causes of parenting difficulties and their impact on the child.

Part three identifies what information needs to be gathered to inform decision making and describes the Psychological Parenting Capacity Checklist which can be used to make trauma-informed decisions about children’s care arrangements.

Target audience

The course is relevant to those involved in making or contributing to legal decisions about a parent’s capacity to safely care for their child. This includes legal professionals, social workers, and mental health practitioners.

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