Statutory guidance

Annex 8: Post Assessment Questionnaire supporting guidance

Updated 12 November 2021

This statutory guidance was withdrawn on 30 September 2022

The Reducing Parental Conflict face-to-face provision has ended and this guidance is no longer in use. Find other DWP provider guidance.

1. Quick pointers:

• this questionnaire has been designed for parents to complete in or following their final session of support to reduce parental conflict or when they end their participation
• parents should complete the questionnaire based on their relationship status with their partner/ex-partner when they were initially referred for support (ie. when they saw the practitioner who they did first completed the parental conflict questions with)
• each parent should complete the questionnaire individually, even if their partner is also in the session
• parents still in a relationship should consider the same child for section 3 as they did for the Referral Stage Questionnaire (RSQ). This information can be found on their RSQ response. This is very important for analytical reasons
• the questionnaire is not mandatory, but forms a valuable part of the evaluation of the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme so you should strongly encourage parents to complete it wherever possible

2. Which questionnaire should parents complete?

Please spend a few minutes familiarising yourself with the questionnaires, in case the parent has any questions about how to complete them.

All questionnaires are comprised of two parts: Part A is about the parents and their experiences of the sessions, and Part B is about their levels of conflict with their partner or ex-partner.

Parents should complete the questionnaire based on their relationship status with their partner/ex-partner when they were initially referred for support. This means if they completed the Referral Stage Questionnaire for parents still in a relationship, then they should complete the Post Assessment Questionnaire for parents still in a relationship – even if they have since separated.

Each parent should complete one questionnaire of the 4 listed below:

• for parents who were in a relationship with the person they were experiencing conflict with
• for expectant parents who were in a relationship with the person they were experiencing conflict with
• for parents who were not in a relationship with the person they were experiencing conflict with
• for expectant parents who were not in a relationship with the person they were experiencing conflict with

3. Introducing the questionnaire to parents

The PAQ is not mandatory but parents should be strongly encouraged to complete it as it forms a valuable part of the evaluation of the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme. This will help us understand more about the effectiveness of different interventions for families. The questions have been carefully selected by DWP with the help from experts and academic professionals to allow us compare their responses to the PAQ to those provided prior to intervention.

If they have difficulty understanding a particular question or word in a question, then please be on hand to assist the parent.

When introducing the questionnaire…

• explain that this is to help inform our understanding of how effective these interventions have been at improving family life
• ask parents to complete the questionnaire individually, without assistance from their partner (if present), and explain that information will be treated in the strictest of confidence
• explain that data will be anonymised and used for research purposes only. Parents will not be identifiable in any report
• there are no right or wrong answers and so please ask parents to answer all questions to the best of their ability

4. Handling data

Any completed hard copies of the questionnaires need to be stored securely, this means locking the questionnaires in a filing cabinet or other such safe place. Any uploaded questionnaires will also need to be stored securely (password protected file) on your organisation’s computer systems and not on any personal devices. Any loss of questionnaires or other personal information must be reported to DWP immediately at the email address below so that we can notify the relevant data security teams.

Please report to data.protectionofficer@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

5. Data collection tool

The answers provided by parents should be input into the data collection tool. This can be done by parents directly, or the practitioner, depending on local IT rules (some agencies will only allow the practitioner to complete it).

1. The first tab on the PAQ is labelled ‘Questionnaire’. This is the section to be completed by either the Parent or Practitioner, depending on local IT rules. 2. Most questions on the questionnaire can be answered by selecting the appropriate answer with a mouse. Some fields must be completed. 3. Column M on the spreadsheet indicates whether an answer has been completed. It shows the word ‘Must Complete’ in red besides the appropriate question until an answer is selected/completed. It will change to the appropriate value in green when completed. 4. If any questions are incomplete. Missing answers can be identified using column M.

Additional Functions for the Practitioner (PAQ)

A button has been supplied at the end of the questionnaire for the Practitioner’s use. This triggers a Macro which will:

• send the questionnaire to DWP for evaluation purposes, and will send a separate copy back to the Local Area to support any future work with the family. Both emails will be password-protected. This password is not disclosed to the Practitioner.

Please Note

• any copies kept by the Practitioner must be retained in line with the contract (specified secure methods)

If Macros are not permitted by Practitioner’s security settings, they must save a copy with password protection and send directly to DWP and Local Area. In this instance, a separate email must be sent with the password.

6. Safeguarding Issues

There is a general duty on all professionals to safeguard children. This includes ensuring that any information that indicates that a child may be at risk from violent, abusive, exploitative or neglectful behaviour from parents or carers or other adults is communicated to the relevant individual or organisation so that the matter can be properly investigated.

All practitioners are expected to use their professional judgement and the relevant local guidelines and procedures in responding to, discussing and communicating any safeguarding concerns.

If at any point during the completion of the questionnaire, child protection concerns are raised, the practitioner (in consultation with their manager) must ensure that the matter is appropriately communicated to a responsible individual and the child is safeguarded according to the local authorities’ Child Protection & Safeguarding procedures.

7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why are parents asked to complete the PAQ?

The Post Assessment Questionnaire is an integral part of the evaluation. By asking parents the same questions both before the intervention, through the Referral Stage Questionnaire, and then again after the intervention, through the PAQ, we are able to observe changes in the parental relationship. These observations will help inform our understanding of what interventions work best for families in conflict.

2. What happens if parents does not want to answer the questions?

The questionnaire is not mandatory, so parents are not obliged to complete it. However, it forms a vital part of the evaluation of the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme, so parents should be encouraged to complete the questionnaire wherever possible.

3. Do both parents need to complete the questionnaire?

If both parents are engaging with support, they should both be encouraged to complete the questionnaire. They should do so without assistance from their partner, to make sure that we obtain independent responses from each parent. If they have difficulty understanding a particular question or word in a question, then please be on hand to assist the parent.

4. What are the ‘results’ of my questionnaire?

We will not be informing parents of the outcome of their questionnaire as it is for evaluation purposes only, enabling us to understand more about the effectiveness of different sessions for families. The questionnaire will not be used to diagnose any problems or generate a ‘result’ and there are no wrong or right answers to the questions.

5. Will anyone else get to see my answers?

The answers that parents provide to the questions will be treated in the strictest confidence and are being collected for the purpose of the evaluation.

6. Will my answers affect my benefit / tax credit entitlement?

No, the answers provided will not affect any benefits or tax credits that the parent receives. The answers will also not affect any future applications to benefits or tax credits. The information gathered in the questionnaire will only be used for the evaluation of the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme and will not be shared more widely.

7. What if I no longer wish to complete the questionnaire?

A parent may stop completing the questionnaire at any time, they just need to let you know if they no longer wish to continue with the questions. However, we would ask you to encourage parents to complete all questions to the best of their ability, even if they do not understand the relevancy of the question to them.

Please inform parents to contact data.protectionofficer@dwp.gsi.gov.uk if they have any enquiries.

8. How will a parent’s data be used?

Your data will be used to measure the effectiveness of the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme. DWP will conduct analysis of personal data to understand more about the types of families that participate in the programme. All data will be anonymised and parents will not be able to be identified through the report.