How the GCP2 assessment tool for neglect supports families and practitioners to achieve change

Key findings

GCP2 helps practitioners communicate concerns to families to bring about positive change

Assessments using GCP2 can help bring about positive changes for families.

Parents’ mental health can improve, their help seeking behaviours can increase, and they can develop new skills and have improved relationships with others.

Some children experienced positive changes, such as improvements in behaviour, health and development.

Aspects of GCP2 helped practitioners to communicate with families about why there were concerns about their children. The tool’s strengths-based approach and "traffic lights" system helped families to identify what they are doing well, understand concerns and see positive changes.

Changes to home environment are often easier for families to implement than changes to parenting behaviours

Parents often found it easier to put in place improvements to their home environment than to change their parenting behaviours.

The way in which practitioners could break down improvements to the home environment – such as regular cleaning and decluttering – made change feel like a manageable task for parents.

Using GCP2 can help practitioners make decisions about cases

Using GCP2 may lead practitioners to keep a case open for longer if they are concerned about the families’ need for ongoing support to keep their children safe. It can also help practitioners evidence that a case can be closed without concerns for the welfare of the children.

Change for families is affected by lots of factors

GCP2 is part of a range of assessments and interventions that a family may be receiving all of which may have contributed to the changes that were observed in this study.

The parent-practitioner relationship is key to enabling changes to occur

A positive relationship between the parent and the practitioner who carried out the assessment helped families to engage with the assessment and facilitated positive changes. Parents appreciated practitioners creating time to get to know them and their families before beginning the assessment.