Decisions being made within care proceedings can result in potentially life altering outcomes for families whereby children can be separated from their carers and placed for adoption. Judges and magistrates utilising forensic parenting assessments (FPAs) to help make these decisions need to be able to rely on consistently good practices to inform them; however, there are indications that the quality of FPAs can vary with many not meeting forensic guidelines. This study is about Parenting Assessment Manual Software (PAMS) which is a standardised parenting assessment package that can be incorporated into FPAs. It has established a presence in FPAs despite very limited research on its use or value. This mixed methods project administered an online survey (n=54) and telephone interviews (n=11) to practitioners who have incorporated PAMS into their FPAs in order to explore the process and value in doing so. This study found variations in how PAMS was being incorporated into FPAs resulting in the identification of 3 different ways in which PAMS was used; PAMS Informed, Full PAMS and PAMS Plus FPAs. It has also found a full continuum of practitioner opinion on the use of PAMS within FPAs; although most participants preferred to use PAMS than not. Finally, results indicate that there are minimal differences in a PAMS versus a non-PAMS FPA; however, certain types of FPAs using PAMS require the application of better practice guidelines, may take longer than non-PAMS counterparts and possibly include more parent-child observations. This study provides recommendations regarding the implementation of PAMS when it is incorporated into an FPA and develops knowledge around the use of PAMS within FPAs for the consideration of social workers, legal professionals, health practitioners, family support workers and any other interested parties
