Independent Social Work
About Charley James
My name is Charley James, and I am an Independent Social Worker with a specialisation in supporting and assessing families within the public law framework. My expertise lies in conducting parenting assessments, including the use of the ParentAssess model.
With 14 years of front-line experience in safeguarding and child protection, I am both committed and passionate about my work. My primary focus is on ensuring the safety of children while assisting parents in engaging with services and implementing meaningful changes.
I view assessments as a critical intervention and leverage my extensive knowledge of services in the Southwest to provide practical and accessible support recommendations.
As a direct and confident communicator, I excel at engaging parents effectively and navigating complex situations with skill and empathy.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Parenting Assessments: Conducting comprehensive assessments for parents involved in pre-proceedings and care proceedings, including those with complex needs such as childhood trauma, substance misuse, domestic abuse, and mental health challenges. Utilises the ParentAssess model for specialized evaluations of parents with learning disabilities and additional needs.
Holistic Safeguarding Assessments: Performing thorough assessments to identify safeguarding concerns, risks, strengths, and the impact on individual children.
Risk Assessments: Evaluating risks associated with potentially dangerous individuals, including adults with significant convictions or alleged risks.
Sibling Assessments: Conducting assessments and direct work related to sibling relationships and dynamics.
Kinship and Connected Persons Assessments: Performing viability assessments, Special Guardianship assessments, and kinship fostering evaluations.
Case Direction and Reflective Supervision: Offering guidance on case management and providing reflective supervision to support professional development and decision-making.
Case Audits and Reviews: Conducting case audits and reviews using the social care information system LCS to ensure accuracy and adherence to best practices.
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE and TRAINING
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
2015: Post graduate Diploma in Advanced Social Work with Children and Families, Diploma of Higher Educations (DipE)
2011: Master of Science in Social Work 2:1
2007: Communication Studies 2:1, Degree with Honours
FURTHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NOT INCLUSIVE)
2024: ParentAssess Training- 2 days course (17th and 18th of January)
2020: Systemic Social Worker Supervision and Management complete and passed, Centre for Systemic Social Work. Passed with distinction
2020: Adoption Training for Managers, Adoption West
2019: AIM 3 Assessment Model Training, Southwest (North) Community Forensic CAMHS Team
2015: 5 days Advanced Signs of Safety Training. Bristol City Council
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
2024: Independent Social Worker, Sole Trader
2022 – 2024: Team Manager, Family Support and Safeguarding services, North Somerset Council
2014 – 2022 : Consultant Social Worker / Team Manager, Children & Young Peoples Service, Bristol City Council
2011 – 2014: Social Worker, Children & Young Peoples Service, Bristol City Council
NEWS & UPDATES...
Reflecting on the past year, it's hard to believe it’s been nearly a year since I started practicing as an Independent Social Worker and completed my ParentAssess training. In that time, I've completed 12 ParentAssess reports for both individuals and couples. I’ve really enjoyed applying this approach to working with a variety of parents.
I recently took part in a half-day training and interactive workshop run by Nagalro called "Improving Risk Assessment to Safeguard Children" on September 18, 2024. It was a really engaging and thought-provoking session that sparked a lot of new ideas and reflections on how we assess risks to keep children safe.
I’ve been re-reading Stop Blaming Mothers and Ignoring Fathers, which dives into improving how we protect children from domestic violence. This book, along with the Safe and Together training I did three years ago, really inspired me and has had a positive impact on my practice.
In March 2024, I joined the online Nagalro conference, "So-Called ‘Parental Alienation’ – Debates and Controversies." It was full of interesting learning points and featured a powerful presentation from a child, which was both eye-opening and informative.
Updates 18.12.24
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