Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership Procedures Manual

The Risk Assessment Process

The Risk Assessment Process
	Risk Factors	Protective Factors
Characteristics of the individual child	Low self esteem Increasing age Poor coping skills Difficult temperament Mental distress or illness, e.g. anxiety/depression Alcohol/substance misuse Stress or worries about school work or peers History of similar behaviour in the past Past or current experience of abuse Feeling isolated Recent bereavement	High self esteem Higher ability/attainment Outgoing personality Good coping skills Positive school experience Secure attachment Resilience Knowledge of where to seek support
Features of the immediate context	Access to means of causing self-harm Being alone Social exclusion Alcohol and drugs	Access to social support Social inclusion
Family Factors	Family members who self-harm Family conflict Parental separation and divorce Single parent family Parental illness Parental alcohol/drug misuse Sexual/physical abuse Poverty/low socio-economic status Domestic abuse Pressure from family to achieve at school	Supportive adult relationship Harmonious family relationships Low level of material or social hardship Good role models within family
Peer Group	Arguments with friends Bullying Friends who self-harm	Stable and secure friendship group
School/College	Pressure from school to perform well	Supportive adult Inclusive/incorporative ethos Strong commitment to PSHE mental health promotion Establishment of peer support systems
Family Factors	Family members who self-harm Family conflict Parental separation and divorce Single parent family Parental illness Parental alcohol/drug misuse Sexual/physical abuse Poverty/low socio-economic status Domestic abuse Pressure from family to achieve at school	Supportive adult relationship Harmonious family relationships Low level of material or social hardship Good role models within family
Wider culture and community	Minority status Problems in relation to race, culture or religion Problems regarding sexual orientation or identity Media portrayals glamorise self-harm or suicide 'victims' and elicit 'copy-cat' responses by vulnerable children and young people	Access to social support

Last Updated: December 7, 2023