Assessment Services

When a child or young person is refered for problematic sexual behaviour the first phase of intervention is to assess risk and needs. 

Assessment provides important information to guide the development of an appropriate intervention plan, and to guide decisions regarding safe placement, contact (when the child has behaved abusively or inappropriately towards a sibling or family member) and ongoing management of risk. 

What is involved in an assessment ?

Assessments occur in two stages: (i) Completion of clinical interviews and gathering of assessment information, and (ii) Post Assessment consultation and case planning.

(i) Clinical interview and gathering of assessment information

In order to gather the relevant information for the assessment the counsellor will talk with the child/young person, their parents, their primary caregiver (if not the parent).   Assessments may require between 4-6 hours of clinical intervening depending upon the complexity of the situation. Interviews are generally conducted face-to-face.

In addition to information obtained in clinical interviews, consultation may be undertaken with relevant professionals involved with the child/young person and family and relevant background information, reports and other documentation that may assist with the assessment is reviewed. This may include Family and Community Services/JIRT, the Department of Education, and other services involved with the child/young person and family. No person or agency will be contacted without the consent of the child or guardian.

(ii) Post assessment consultation and case plan development

Post assessment consultation provides an opportunity to discuss the assessment findings and recommendations with the family, the Contracting Service and (if appropriate) other services involved and to assist in the development of an appropriate management and intervention plan. This may include making decisions regarding ongoing counselling, placement, risk management and contact or restoration planning.

Wherever possible, feedback to the child and family is undertaken in an interview process, and occurs prior to any discussion in a formal meeting setting. 

 

What areas will an assessment cover?

At the time of referral the specific parameters of the assessment will be discussed with you and referral questions can be formulated.

Critical areas of assessment may include:

 

Does SAIFF provide victim impact and needs assessment ?

When the sexual behaviour has involved another child (or children) within the home, SAIFF may also undertake assessment of the victim’s needs and adjustment. Assessment of the victim’s adjustment and needs is critical to ongoing safety and case planning and decisions regarding contact planning and placement should not be made without such information being available.

SAIFF will generally undertake victim assessment only if there is not a sexual assault service (or other counsellor) involved with the victim. If the child has been, or is already engaged with another treatment service, information regarding the adjustment, needs and safety of the child is best sought directly from the treatment provider. 

If a victim impact and needs assessment is also sought, a secondary SAIFF counsellor will be allocated in most cases to undertaken this component of the assessment.  This enables independent assessment and minimizes any conflict of interest that may arise by a single counsellor assessing both children.

How long does an assessment take ?

The interview and consultation stage of the assessment generally requires between 4-6 weeks, depending upon the availability of the child and family to attend appointments and the counsellor’s availability.  In some cases, assessments may be able to be completed in a shorter time frame.

Will a written assessment report be provided ?

Written assessment reports can be provided upon request.

The preparation of a written report is optional and is not considered necessary in order to assist in the development of a case plan as the SAIFF counsellor completing the assessment will provide verbal feedback regarding the findings and recommendations in the post assessment consultation.

Does SAIFF provide assessments in Regional areas and Interstate?

SAIFF does provide assessments in regional areas and Intestate and we also offer outreach assessment services in the Sydney metropolitan areas.

In these instances, the clinical interviews and post assessment consultation is conducted at a location in closer proximity to the client. This is usually the local FACS office or other agency centre.

Please contact SAIFF for further information about these outreach assessment services.

How much does an assessment cost?

Assessments are charged on an hourly basis with fees applying to both clinical interviews and consultation. Additional fees are charged for written reports and where travel is required to attend case meetings or conferences.

Outreach (including regional and interstate assessments) are charged on a flat fee basis which is inclusive of all aspects of the assessment (exluding reports).   

GST applies to all services contracted and paid for by a third party.

Counselling is GST free for clients who are paying fees personally, GST applies to other services (eg consultation, reports).

Medicare rebates may be able to be claimed for the clinical interview component of an assessment, depending upon the client’s circumstances, the funding arrangements and the nature of the assessment. Further infromtion about Medicare rebates can be provided upon request.

Please contact SAIFF on linda.valenta@saiff.com.au or (02) 9968 4345 is you would like a written quote for an assessment.