Case No. LV21C01426

. However, from the practitioners’ descriptions of sibling assessments, there did not seem to be a universal model for practice; different local authorities were reported as using adapted versions of ‘the BAAF’ or various other procedures. There was concern, especially from judges, that sibling assessments are often hastily commissioned after separation has been determined as the likely outcome. As a consequence they may lack the rigour to ‘pull apart’ and interrogate assumptions. This suggests that assessments are more often viewed as necessary evidence to support a prior decision to separate siblings, than as open-ended investigations to inform decision making. An inadequate sibling assessment, or the lack of one, was considered by some judges to constitute grounds for delaying proceedings beyond 26 weeks, but there was a perception that judicial attitudes varied considerably. There were also differing views about the kind of expertise required to perform an assessment. Although usually described as a job for social workers, some professionals, including social workers themselves, thought that child psychologists were under-used, with some citing the restrictions on the commissioning of experts introduced by the 2014 Public Law Outline as a factor.30.Key research to which the Court has been referred is