One of the most common questions I hear from families, and from solicitors chasing timetable directions, is how long their assessment will take. The honest answer is that it depends on the type of assessment, the complexity of the case, and a range of practical factors that are sometimes outside anyone's control. But I can give realistic timescales based on my experience of completing over two hundred assessments across the full range of Family Court work.
Before I break down the numbers, I want to make an important point. There is a constant tension in Family Court proceedings between the pressure to conclude cases quickly, which is right because children need certainty, and the need for assessments to be thorough enough to inform decisions that will shape a child's life. I take that tension seriously. I never pad out an assessment unnecessarily, but I will not cut corners to meet an unrealistic deadline either.
Parenting assessments: eight to twelve weeks
A comprehensive parenting assessment using the ParentAssess framework is the most intensive type of assessment I complete. From the date I receive the court bundle to the date I file my report, the typical timescale is eight to twelve weeks.
That time breaks down roughly as follows. The first week or two involves reading the court bundle, which in care proceedings can run to several hundred pages. I read everything. I create a chronology. I identify the key issues and plan my assessment approach. Then I schedule and conduct the interviews, which usually means three to five sessions with the subject of the assessment, each lasting between two and three hours. I will also visit the home, observe the parent with their child, and contact professional references including schools, health visitors, GPs, and any other agencies involved with the family.
Once all the information is gathered, I need time to analyse it and write the report. A parenting assessment report is a substantial document, often running to fifteen thousand words or more, and the analysis section requires careful, considered thinking. I do not write conclusions while I am still conducting interviews. I need to see the full picture before I analyse it.
Where cases are particularly complex, for example where there are multiple parents being assessed, where the child has significant additional needs, or where there is a lengthy history of involvement with services, the assessment may take closer to twelve weeks or occasionally longer. I always agree timescales with the instructing parties at the outset and flag any anticipated delays as early as possible.
Connected persons and SGO assessments: ten to fourteen weeks
Special Guardianship and connected persons assessments often take longer than parenting assessments, not because the interviews are more complex, but because the scope is wider. The assessment needs to cover the proposed carer's own history, their motivation, their relationship with the child and the child's parents, their parenting capacity, the practical arrangements for the child's care, and the support network available. For SGO assessments, there are also specific requirements around the carer's understanding of the legal order and its implications.
These assessments also require enhanced DBS checks, local authority checks, and personal references, all of which add time. I have had cases where checks took four weeks to come back. There is very little I can do to speed up external agencies, and the assessment cannot be completed until those checks are returned.
Viability assessments: two to four weeks
A viability assessment is a much shorter piece of work. It is designed to answer a specific question: is this person viable as a potential carer for the child, and should a full assessment be commissioned? It typically involves one or two meetings with the proposed carer, a home visit, basic checks, and a brief analytical report. I can usually complete these within two to four weeks, sometimes faster if the referral is straightforward and the person is available promptly.
The important thing to understand about viability assessments is that they are not a full assessment. They screen in or screen out. If the viability assessment is positive, a full connected persons or SGO assessment will follow. If it is negative, the report needs to explain clearly why the person is not considered viable, because that finding will affect whether they are assessed further.
Contact and attachment assessments: six to ten weeks
Assessments focused on contact arrangements and attachment, including CASP-R assessments, generally take six to ten weeks. The work involves observing contact sessions, interviewing parents and carers about the child's relationships, and sometimes gathering information from the child's school or nursery about their emotional presentation. If I need to observe multiple contact sessions, the assessment timeline depends on the contact schedule, which is sometimes only once a fortnight.
What drives the length of an assessment?
Several factors can extend an assessment beyond the typical timescale. The most common are late disclosure of the court bundle, cancelled or rescheduled appointments, delays in receiving professional references, the need for interpreter services, and the complexity of the case itself. A case involving allegations of fabricated illness, for example, may require me to review extensive medical records and consult with health professionals, which adds significant time.
The family's own availability matters too. I work across England and Wales, and travel to wherever the family is based. If a parent works shifts, or if there are bail conditions restricting when and where meetings can happen, scheduling becomes more complicated. I am flexible, but there are only so many hours in a week, and I am usually working on multiple cases simultaneously.
There is also the question of professional references. When I write to a school or a GP requesting information, I typically allow two weeks for a response. Many respond promptly, but some do not. I have waited up to six weeks for a school reference in one case. I will chase, and I will flag the delay to the instructing solicitor, but I cannot force a third party to respond.
Why rushing an assessment is harmful
I understand the pressure to conclude proceedings quickly. The twenty-six-week target for care proceedings exists for good reason. Children cannot wait indefinitely for decisions about their future, and delay is harmful in itself. But there is a difference between working efficiently and rushing, and the consequences of a rushed assessment can be serious.
A superficial assessment misses things. It misses the nuances that only emerge over multiple conversations. It misses the pattern that becomes visible when you lay out a chronology carefully. It misses the child's voice, which often takes time and trust to hear properly. I have read assessments by other practitioners that were clearly completed under time pressure, and the analysis suffers. It becomes descriptive rather than analytical, listing what was said rather than examining what it means. That does not serve the court or the child.
When I agree a timetable with the court, I commit to it. If something changes and I need more time, I explain why and seek an extension early. The court appreciates honesty about timescales far more than it appreciates receiving a report that was clearly rushed to meet a deadline.
What you can do to help the process run smoothly
If you are the subject of an assessment, the single most helpful thing you can do is be available and responsive. Reply to calls and messages promptly. Attend appointments on time. If you need to rearrange, let me know as early as possible so we can reschedule without losing time. Sign consent forms for professional checks quickly. These small things can make a meaningful difference to the overall timeline.
If you are instructing solicitor, provide the court bundle as early as possible and ensure it is complete. Missing documents at the start of an assessment almost always cause delays later. If there are specific questions you want the assessment to address, include them in the letter of instruction rather than adding them partway through.
For a full overview of how the assessment process works from start to finish, including what happens at each stage, see my guide on what to expect from a social work assessment.