The KeyHinsburger, Dalla Nora, Tough

HST 132-Chap 2

Assessment: Process, protocols, and Points of View

Chapter 2

The individual needs to know us for:Honesty

Trustworthiness

Assessment is a part of treatment

You are not the person’s friend:You are paid to be there, if you are there

without being paid, then you should seek a new job so that you can truly be the person’s friend

You ARE the person’s advocate as well as a representative of the community in which the person lives

Secrets are DEADLY with sex offenders. Be honest, you will share the information the person is going to convey with the team or you may end up causing someone untold pain and heartache

It’s okay (and good) in fact to like this person, no matter what, but remember this:

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, be aware, be informed, be attentive, and be a good observer

for the benefit of the person you serve and the

rest of the community!

If your position requires confidentiality and things that cannot be shared with the team, define the boundaries of confidentiality

Tell the staff and team what the treatment is, maybe not the rationale

Gain agreement from the person served and/or notify them of the boundaries

Make sure the person KNOWS what those boundaries are

Fairness in practice: doing an assessment:Interview the support person(s)—alone and

individually, start putting together what the offense/mistake (s) looked like, start a timeline, but let each person share openly, completely, and alone

Look through the file—alone, read for context and underlying inaccuracy as well as hints to things that may not be explicit

The individual in context—watch and note various behaviors, eye contact, watchfulness, patterns of movement, what they watch and read, etc.

Put together an initial reaction to the situation and be sure to write a thorough support document for the person, and train everyone he/she will be supported by.