Assessing the Needs of Traumatised Children to Improve Outcomes

From the Introduction…

This paper is about the development of an outcomes-based treatment approach in work with traumatized children and of an assessment model to measure progress.
In particular, it shows how a spider diagram is used to give a powerful, visual representation of a child’s progress.

The work described has been carried out by SACCS — an independent UK organization providing treatment based in residential and family settings for children who are severely traumatized by abuse and neglect. This trauma has had a massive impact on their development socially, physically, emotionally, academically and spiritually. The children have complex needs which are extremely difficult to work with. However, the potential for recovery from their injuries remains.

I will use a single case study of a child to illustrate the process of assessment and measurement of recovery. The treatment approach used is broadly psychodynamic. The concept of an outcomes-based approach and the measurement tool described also has widespread relevance in social care.
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