Types of assessment

You may hear different names for assessments, depending on your situation. For example:

• Child and Family Assessment – looks at the child's needs and any support that may help
• Viability assessment – a short assessment used when a child may need to move quickly to a family member or friend, to see if this could be a safe temporary arrangement
• Connected person (kinship foster carer) assessment – if a child may stay with you as a foster carer
• Special Guardianship Order (SGO) assessment or Child Arrangements Order (CAO) assessment – for longer-term legal arrangements

Your social worker will explain which assessment applies to your situation and what it involves.