This thoroughly revised and updated second edition of Child and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice is an essential guide for social work students and practitioners involved in the assessment of children and their families. Focusing on 'core' assessments and guiding the reader through the complexities of conducting assessments of need and risk, the book now includes within each chapter a range of specifically-tailored exercises and focus points which encourage readers both to reflect on what they have learnt and to understand how they can apply that learning to practice.

Placing a strong emphasis on good, evidence-based, assessment practice, Sally Holland has also, for this new edition, included original research evidence from a wide range of up-to-date research studies which are relevant to today's practice and which aim to promote a critical and reflective approach to the assessment process.

The book is divided into three parts:

- Part 1 explores different appoaches to assessment work, outlining policy changes and their implications for working with children and their families.

- Part 2 studies those involved in child and family assessments: children and their parents; and the relationship between the assessors and the assessed.

- Part 3 - a more practical guide - outlines the actual process of an assessment, illustrated by case studies, focusing on planning assessment methods, analysis, reporting and critical evaluation.

Accessibly relating theory and research to actual practice through the use of case studies, exercises, and suggestions for good practice and further reading, this book has a student-friendly structure It will be an invaluable resource for practitioners and academics across the field of social welfare, particularly for those embarking on, or already involved in, child and family assessment.

Introduction
PART ONE: WHAT IS ASSESSMENT?
Assessment in Child and Family Social Work
The Nature of Assessment: Law, Art and Science
Time and Change
PART TWO: PEOPLE IN ASSESSMENTS
The Assessment Relationship
Children in Assessments
Assessing Parents
PART THREE: THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Assessment Design
Analyzing and Reporting
Conclusion: A Fair and Thorough Assessment

I am a Reader in Social Work in Cardiff University¿s School of Social Sciences, and a former social worker in the field of child and family social work. Previously I was a practitioner in the voluntary and statutory sectors. I have extensive experience of conducting qualitative research projects in social work and have investigated issues related to looked after children, assessment of parenting, family group conferences, child neglect, involving fathers and community safeguarding. I have used a range of qualitative methods to explore these topics, including participative research with children, ethnography, mobile methods, life history interviews and documentary analysis. I facilitate a research advisory group for young people who are care experienced and am deputy chair of my departmental research ethics committee. I am also the author of Child and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice (Sage, 2nd edition, 2011).