James has no contact with his father,raising concerns around paternal attachment and possible negative lifeevents/experiences due to separation. The assessment will need to explore howJames and his family view this separation; again each may hold conflictingviews and this must be sensitively addressed.

One must consider that the immediate familyunit, the extended family and professionals may all have differing perceptionsof families with same-sex caregivers; some view this as strength whereas otherswill see membership of a minority group as a risk. Family members themselvesmay negatively discriminate on the basis of sexuality. Prior awareness of thepossibility of conflicting opinions will enable the worker to reactthoughtfully and mediate effectively. The social worker should criticallyevaluate their own practice continuously, checking for assumptions,stereotyping and cultural bias.

Preparation for the assessment should beginwith ensuring an appropriate social worker is allocated. The team managershould consider the field workers knowledge and understanding of the issuespertaining to this particular family (for example youth offending,discrimination/oppression based on sexuality/gender, attachment issues etc), aswell as ensuring the worker is an appropriate match in terms of race and gender.

Once a suitable worker is allocated thecase, he/she will need to refer to all information gathered previously. Thiswill prevent the family repeating sensitive information again, and will enablethe social worker to identify gaps in information that need to be filled duringthe assessment.

Assessments and subsequent care plans aremore effective if the child and family feel empowered and involved throughoutthe process (Department for Education and Skills, 2001). Indeed this is a dutyof any professional working with children as outlined in Article 12 of theUnited Nations