Most agencies find that the ten areas covered by the Star are very similar to the areas covered in their existing assessment and review forms, though they are unlikely to be exact. Many agencies choose to review and amend their forms when they introduce the Star, matching the areas as closely as possible. There may be additional areas not in the Star that need to be covered – particularly for risk assessments – that need to be retained.

We highly recommend that the Star is incorporated into your agency’s assessment and review processes so that it is a live and real document, with incentive to complete it accurately and to avoid duplication. It can then be used flexibly – workers may want to have a discussion of each area with the service user and then hone down to a score, or start with the scales and then use that as a basis to open discussion.



Author: Triangle Consulting for the London Housing Foundation
Updated: 2 January 2008