Resources for screening and assessing parenting strengths and family connections.
Assessing Parenting Capacity: Factsheet (PDF - 468 KB)
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (2014)
Describes the process of assessing parenting capacity and highlights aspects of good practice drawn from research literature and guidance on the topic.
The Family Advocacy and Support Tool (FAST)
PRAED Foundation (2016)
Provides information on Oregon's family assessment tool, which measures family strengths and needs, including resources, relations with extended family, natural supports, community involvement, cultural identity, cultural practice, caregiver collaboration, and more.
Family Assessment
Child and Family Services Reviews Information Portal (2017)
Describes the process of family assessment to identify behaviors and conditions about the child and family that could contribute to safety threats and risk of child maltreatment. The webpage also describes a comprehensive family assessment, which provides a greater understanding of how a family's strengths, needs, and resources affect a child's safety and well-being and includes information on the types of questions asked.
FRIENDS Protective Factors Survey
Family Resource Information, Education, and Network Development Service (2017)
Explains an evidence-based evaluation tool for use with families receiving child maltreatment prevention services. The Protective Factors Survey is a self-administered assessment that measures protective factors in five areas: family functioning/resilience, social support, concrete support, nurturing and attachment, and knowledge of parenting/child development. The webpage includes a link to the tool. (PDF - 429 KB)
KIPS: An Evidence-Based Tool for Assessing Parenting Strengths and Needs in Diverse Families (PDF - 344 KB)
Comfort, Gordon, & Naples (2011)
Infants & Young Children: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Early Childhood Intervention, 24(1)
Describes studies on and results of the Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale (KIPS), an observational assessment of parenting quality, with 397 families. The KIPS tool can help providers tailor services to diverse families, track progress, and evaluate outcomes.
Parental Sense of Competence Scale [Blog post]
Researching Parents (2013)
Provides information on the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) Scale, which measures parental competence on two levels: satisfaction (examines anxiety, motivation, and frustration); and efficacy (looks at competence, capability levels, and problem-solving skills).
Parenting Stress Index
American Psychological Association (2017)
Describes the Parenting Stress Index, a screening measure for evaluating parenting and identifying issues that may lead to problems in the child's or parent's behavior.
Parents' Assessment of Protective Factors: User's Guide and Technical Report (PDF - 2,600 KB)
Kiplinger & Browne (2014)
National Quality Improvement Center on Early Childhood
Examines the Parents' Assessment of Protective Factors, a tool that measures the presence, strength, and growth of family protective factors, including parental resilience, social connections, concrete support in times of need, children's social and emotional competence, and knowledge of parenting and child development. The resource includes instruments and scoring sheets.
Protective Capacity Assessment: Model Summary and Practice Protocol, Stakeholder Edition (PDF - 1,570 KB)
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Office of Children's Services (2011)
Provides family services caseworkers with a structured approach for engaging and involving caregivers and children in the case planning process.