Assessment and Therapy

Assessment and Therapy, Case Study: Jamal

Jamal was referred to our assessment centre by one of our group homes in London where he was three weeks into a six week planned placement. He had been initially removed from his home in London because he had been terrorising his father and his neighbourhood after several support packages being put into the family home.

Jamal's need to control and lack of boundaries meant that violence between him and his father had reached the stage where one of them was liable to become seriously injured. This behaviour continued in London causing the other established residents to feel unsafe to the degree that they wished to move if he stayed he was able to roam London at will.

Risk Assessment

Assessment and Therapy Services were needed by Five Rivers, Following our risk assessment of his extremely high level of need we offered a clinical assessment in the first instance of 28 days. Jamal was seen by our retained Chartered Psychologist and agreed that he had a severe attachment disorder and virtually no impulse control

Intergrated Care Planning

We were able to provide a slow integrated move back into education, starting with in house tutoring, educational excursions and sports to formal education in a class room setting. In consultation with a Chartered Psychologist the team were able to work with his aggression and violence, showing a consistent and clear message about consequences of such behaviour and giving differing options of how these emotions can be handled, this led to a significant drop in the young person's violence.

Clinical Assessment

Jamal's self-esteem has improved through daily work by the clinical and education team together we have devised a independent living skills programme that aimed at his strengths allowed him to achieve at tasks and develop his ability in looking after himself for the future.

Within our Assessment and Therapy framework we were able to begin work on his impulse control resulting in Jamal being able to wait for short periods, for attention, without committing criminal damage or assaulting anyone. We presented a detailed Assessment of Need and recommendations to the placing authority and a very comprehensive handover to the next placement.

The above depicts real Five Rivers case studies names have been changed and actors used in the films to protect the identities of the children and young people involved.

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