The Assessment Team

A borough wide Assessment Service which responds to new referrals is based at:

292 Essex Road
London
N1 3AZ

Office hours are 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday
Outside office hours contact the Emergency Duty Team on 020 7226 0992

When people first contact the team, they will see an Information and Assessment Officer. The officer will try to deal with the person’s enquiry straight away and tell them about services that might be able to help.

Appointments

Visitors to the office by appointment will be seen within 10 minutes of their appointment, or else given a clear explanation of any delay.

Drop-in visitors will be invited to make an appointment, but if this is not possible or appropriate, every effort will be made to see the visitor within 60 minutes of their arrival.

Social workers will visit children and their families as part of their Assessment. If there are delays, the person will be informed about the delay before the appointment time.

Assessment and access to services

It might be that you need more than information and advice to assist you and/or your family. You are entitled to an assessment if a child or children in your family appear to be in need, or at risk of harm. This will be done by a social worker from the children and families assessment service.

The assessment will tell us about your needs and following it you and/or your family may be offered a service.

Having an assessment

In most cases we will explain this process clearly and children and young people will be encouraged to take an active role in the assessment.

You will be given a named social worker who will discuss your needs with you and/or members of your family. Your social worker may need to discuss your situation with other professionals who work with you in order to gain an accurate picture of how best to help you and your family. We will aim to complete a full assessment of your needs within 42 working days.