Parenting Capacity Instrument for Child Protection

The concept of parenting capacity is used in Australian legislation without definition, making it difficult to assess in individual cases. Parenting capacity is a broad construct that can incorporate many domains including history, contexts, and current functioning. Understanding how well a parent is able to meet the needs of their child is essential to inform decision-making for families involved with a court. This chapter proposes a model of parenting capacity based on literature to date, and describes application of the model to practice. An assessment instrument is described based on the proposed model of parenting capacity, together with preliminary data. The model and the assessment instrument are designed to be suitable for both child protection and child custody cases. The instrument is designed: to prompt assessors to consider all relevant aspects of parenting; to provide a baseline assessment against which future assessments can be compared; to provide a common reference point for assessors and clinicians and in doing so to address heterogeneity of methodology; and to help reduce biases that easily arise when assessing parenting capacity. The instrument aids in the identification of specific parenting strengths and challenges/weaknesses, and provides a basis for treatment planning with individual families. The chapter proposed that a distinct instrument is required to assess parenting capacity as Australian courts have begun to accept reports about parenting capacity from treating experts as well as from a single independent expert.