Rethink Formulation

ARRANGING A RETHINK FORMULATION WITH THE FAMILIES YOU ARE SUPPORTING

Rethink Formulations are used to help us structure our conversations and organise information to reach a shared understanding on what to do next. They help us rethink how we work with families and other professionals.

Rethink Formulation can be used as a tool to guide reflections and conversations. This includes 1:1 Supervision, Group Supervision and during phone calls, visits to families and within Care Team / Core Group Meetings.

A Rethink Formulation can be a meeting with a family and any professionals involved.  This will be in person and takes approximately 2- 3 hours. This tends to be when practitioners are feeling ‘stuck’ with a case.

A Rethink Formulation will be centred around a PRESENTING ISSUE. Thismeans what is happening right now that’s causing concern?

Sometimes Core Groups / Care Teams will already know their presenting issue, such as:

‘Members not being in agreement with what the risks are, or what the level of intervention should be’.

‘Feeling stuck and not knowing know how to progress the plan’?

‘A family not allowing professionals into the home / not attending appointments’.

If the presenting issue is agreed beforehand with the Care Team/Core Group (including the family) this can save time in the full formulation meeting. This allows a better focus on developing next steps. However, sometimes a presenting issue is unknown and having a full formulation meeting will help us to work this out.

The Relational Practice Leads (RPLs) can facilitate some Rethink Formulations as meetings. This can include when there are issues such as:

A breakdown in a relationship between professionals and/or the family.
A family and/or professionals who aren’t agreeing on the risks and what should happen next.
There is unknown information, such as the views of the family.

Below are the following steps for how practitioners request a Rethink Formulation from a Relational Practice Lead (RPL):

• Email relationalpracticeleads@newcastle.gov.uk to request  a Rethink Formulation.

• An RPL will make a 30-minute calendar appointment with you to chat about the formulation and how this should progress. This will include arranging a date, time and venue.

• The Rethink Formulation will take place. The RPL’s will bring the paperwork required and will minute the formulation. This will then be shared with the allocated social worker to forward onto who attended. The RPL will upload the formulation and record a case note on the child’s file.