National Risk Framework to Support the Assessment of Children and Young People

THE GENOGRAM

A genogram is a visual tool to help display a person's family network and relationships that goes beyond a traditional family tree. It provides opportunity for practitioners and service users to obtain better grasp of family make up or context as well as the varying dynamics around the character and strength of some of these relationships. It can also be used to identify trends or patterns in behaviour - inter and intra generationally - and to recognise familial tendencies.

The templates below are provided to assist the organisation of information around family structure and organisation. Slide 1 is a guide to the possible layout of content with a family. Slide 2 is a blank version that may be used with the family. These are provided for guidance to assist understanding of how to set out a genogram on a single A4 sheet. The aim is to support practitioners to provide visual reference of a family's make up such that the reader can immediately grasp inter and intra generational relationships. However, the genogram is a tool to assist practice understandings of family make up and should be modified and adapted to suit individual family circumstances.

When completing the genogram, the key notations noted below can be inserted in each box and used to improve understandings of identified relationships. The key can also be adapted to take account of same sex relationships. With this basic information completed the genogram can be added to practitioner records and easily incorporated as appendix to any assessment report facilitating better grasp of the immediate familial context in which a child/young person resides. It can also usefully be used to support understandings of the connections between particular individuals that may reflect inter generational patterns of behaviour (eg. neglect, alcohol, drugs, mental health, violence etc).

This is a tool to be used both with the family and the professionals involved.

GENOGRAM KEY