About this resource
People's lives are shaped by factors at many levels. This reflection maps risk and protective factors at individual, relationship, community and structural levels, and identifies where support could strengthen protective factors or reduce risks, keeping the person's own view central.
Purpose
To build a balanced, ecological understanding of a person's situation to guide support.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Social workers. Also relevant for community services and case workers, youth workers.
Client or participant group: Social workers and practitioners developing case formulations.
Practice setting: Case planning, supervision and team case discussions.
Suggested uses
- Case formulation
- Supervision
- Team case discussions
- Planning support
Instructions for practitioners
- Include the person's own view of what helps and what is hard.
- Balance risks with protective factors.
- Consider structural factors such as poverty, racism and discrimination.
- Use your organisation's validated risk assessment tools where risk decisions are needed.
Accessibility considerations
Editable HTML source available for adaptation.
Scope and limitations
A reflective formulation tool. It is not a risk assessment tool and must not be used to make safety or child protection decisions.
Research basis
Biopsychosocial and ecological models describe how health, relationships and wider systems interact in a person's life.
- Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674028845
- Engel, G. L. (1977). The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine. Science, 196(4286), 129–136. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.847460
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
