Annex 7: Initial Assessment Questionnaire supporting guidance
Updated 12 November 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reducing-parental-conflict-provider-guidance/annex-7-iaq-supporting-guidance
1. Quick pointers
- all parents should be asked to complete the IAQ at their initial assessment with the provider
- a parent should complete the questionnaire individually, where both parents are in attendance they should both complete an IAQ. Parents should not confer
- please ensure parents agree to supply the information in the questionnaire to DWP and their delivery partners, by ticking the box at the top of the first page of the questionnaire
- parents should complete sections B and C about the same child as they considered when completing the Referral Stage Questionnaire – this information can be found in the referral
- the questionnaire is not mandatory, but forms a valuable part of the evaluation of the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme so you should strongly encourage parents to complete it wherever possible
2. Which sections of the questionnaire should parents complete?
Please spend a few minutes familiarising yourself with the questionnaire, in case the parent has any questions about how to complete it. Parents should follow the guidance notes at the beginning and end of each section to ensure they answer only the sections that are relevant to them.
Page 1: All parents should complete this section
Page 2 (Part A): Only parents who are separated/no longer in a relationship should complete this section
Page 3: (Part B): Only parents whose child they are most concerned about (or youngest child, if not concerned about a child) is aged 2-4 years old should complete this section. This should be the same child they referred to in the Referral Stage Questionnaire.
Page 5 (Part C): Only parents whose child they are most concerned about (or youngest child, if not concerned about a child) is aged 5-17 years old should complete this section. This should be the same child they referred to in the Referral Stage Questionnaire.
Page 7: All parents should complete this section
3. Introducing the questionnaire to parents
The IAQ is not mandatory but parents should be encouraged to complete it as it forms a valuable part of the evaluation of the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme. This will help us understand more about the effectiveness of different interventions for families. The questions have been carefully selected by DWP with the help from experts and academic professionals.
If they have difficulty understanding a particular question or word in a question, then please be on hand to assist the parent.
When introducing the questionnaire…
- explain that this is to help inform our understanding of how best to improve family life
- ask parents to complete the questionnaire individually, without assistance from their partner (if present), and explain that information will be treated in the strictest of confidence
- explain that data will be anonymised and used for research purposes only. Parents will not be identifiable in any report
- explain that not all of the sections will be relevant to them, so parents should follow the guidance at the beginning and end of each section
- there are no right or wrong answers and so please ask parents to answer all questions to the best of their ability and knowledge
4. Handling data
Any completed hard copies of the questionnaires need to be stored securely, this means locking the questionnaires in a filing cabinet or other such safe place. Any uploaded questionnaires will also need to be stored securely (password protected file) on your organisation’s computer systems and not on any personal devices.
Any loss of questionnaires or other personal information collected through the questionnaire must be reported to DWP immediately.
Please report to data.protectionofficer@dwp.gov.uk
5. Data collection tool
The answers provided by parents should be input into the data collection tool. This can be done by parents directly, or the practitioner, depending on local IT rules (some agencies will only allow the practitioner to complete it).
1. The first tab on the IAQ is labelled ‘Questionnaire’. This is the section to be completed by either the Parent or Practitioner, depending on local IT rules. 2. Most questions on the questionnaire can be answered by selecting the appropriate answer with a mouse. Some fields must be completed. 3. Column M on the spreadsheet indicates whether an answer has been completed. It shows the word ‘Must Complete’ in red besides the appropriate question until an answer is selected/completed. It will change to the appropriate value in green when completed.
4. If any questions are incomplete. Missing answers can be identified using column M.
Additional Functions for the Practitioner (IAQ)
A Button has been supplied at the end of the questionnaire for the Practitioner’s use. This triggers a Macro which will:
- send the questionnaire in two emails with the Parent’s identifiers (other than UIN) removed. Both emails will be password-protected and sent direct to the Evaluation Team. This password is not disclosed to the Practitioner.
- the first email is child details only, the second contains the questionnaire answers only – these both contain the Parent’s UIN as a linking mechanism
Please Note
- any copies kept by the Practitioner must be retained in line with the contract (specified secure methods)
If Macros are not permitted by Practitioner’s security settings, they must save a copy with password protection and send directly to the DWP. In this instance, a separate email must be sent with the password.
6. Safeguarding issues
There is a general duty on all professionals to safeguard children. This includes ensuring that any information that indicates that a child may be at risk from violent, abusive, exploitative or neglectful behaviour from parents or carers or other adults is communicated to the relevant individual or organisation so that the matter can be properly investigated.
All practitioners are expected to use their professional judgement and the relevant local guidelines and procedures in responding to, discussing and communicating any safeguarding concerns.
If at any point during the completion of the questionnaire, child protection concerns are raised, the practitioner (in consultation with their manager) must ensure that the matter is appropriately communicated to a responsible individual and the child is safeguarded according to the local authorities’ Child Protection & Safeguarding procedures.
7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why are parents asked to complete the IAQ?
The Initial Assessment Questionnaire is a really important part of the evaluation, enabling us to understand more about the types of families that participate. The IAQ allows parents the opportunity to provide information about their child of most concern which helps us generate a fuller picture about the entire family and the relationship with parental conflict.
2. What happens if a parent does not want to answer the questions?
The questionnaire is not mandatory, so parents are not obliged to complete it. However, it forms a vital part of the evaluation of the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme, so parents should be encouraged to complete the questionnaire wherever possible.
3. Do both parents need to complete the questionnaire?
If both parents are engaging with support, they should both be encouraged to complete the questionnaire. They should do so without assistance from their partner, to make sure that we obtain independent responses from each parent. If they have difficulty understanding a particular question or word in a question, then please be on hand to assist the parent.
4. What are the ‘results’ of my questionnaire?
We will not be informing parents of the outcome of their questionnaire as it is for evaluation purposes only, enabling us to understand more about the effectiveness of different interventions for families. The questionnaire will not be used to diagnose any problems or generate a ‘result’ and there are no wrong or right answers to the questions.
5. Will anyone else get to see my answers?
The answers that parents provide to the questions will be treated in the strictest confidence and are being collected for the purpose of the evaluation.
6. Will my answers affect my benefit / tax credit entitlement?
No, the answers provided will not affect any benefits or tax credits that the parent receives. The answers will also not affect any future applications to benefits or tax credits. The information gathered in the questionnaire will only be used for the evaluation of the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme and will not be shared more widely.
7. What if I no longer wish to complete the questionnaire?
A parent may stop completing the questionnaire at any time, they just need to let you know if they no longer wish to continue with the questions. However, we would ask you to encourage parents to complete all questions to the best of their ability, even if they do not understand the relevancy of the question to them.
Please inform parents to contact data.protectionofficer@dwp.gov.uk if they have any enquiries
8. How will a parent’s data be used?
Your data will be used to measure the effectiveness of the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme. DWP will conduct analysis of personal data to understand more about the types of families that participate in the programme. All data will be anonymised and parents will not be able to be identified through the report.