Family Assessment and Safeguarding Service

Who are the FASS team?

The Family Assessment and Safeguarding Service is a specialist multidisciplinary service: we are psychotherapists, nurses and psychologists, all with training in adult and child mental health, and experience working with families with complex problems.

We have expertise in parent-child attachment, child and infant mental health, trauma, and family law.

We work as a team, which means we bring multiple viewpoints to your family, a comprehensive assessment of your situation and carefully thought-out treatment.

What we do

We provide child and parenting assessments and treatments in families where there are safeguarding concerns, such as where there is a high risk of severe parenting problems (including maltreatment and neglect) or a high risk of major parent/child relationship difficulties and/or attachment disorder.

Families referred to us may have one or more of their children under a child protection plan or supervision order. Often, the families we work with have complex difficulties with relationships, parenting or mental health.

How we work

Court

We also provide a court expert witness service including court reports and expert witness testimony.

We carry out assessments within an ‘Expert Team’ model, with assessment components being carried out by many team members, followed by discussion between team members to arrive at a consensus opinion.

One of us then collates and edits a report summarising the team’s opinion.