This section presents websites and compendia listing tools, instruments and measures of assessment.
Children/youth
Assessing Well-Being in Child Welfare (PDF - 170 KB)
Institute for Child and Family Well-Being (2016)
Provides an overview of the importance of assessing child well-being and the national movement toward prioritizing well-being in policy and practice in the child welfare system. The issue brief highlights the improved well-being screening and assessment program at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin that is integrated and coordinated with prevention and intervention services.
New Tool Measures Well-Being of Kids Served by Child Welfare Systems
Field (2014)
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Describes an assessment tool, the Treatment Outcome Package (TOP), designed to help child welfare systems measure a child's social and emotional well-being.
Well-Being Outcome Measures and Instruments
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Children's Bureau (2017)
Offers a list of screening and assessment instruments compiled by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation to measure child and adolescent well-being and trauma.
Parents
Assessing Parenting
Family Development Resources, Inc.
Provides information on a custom web application that assesses the parenting and child-rearing attitudes of adult and adolescent parent and non-parent populations.
Parenting Strengths Assessment
Connected Families
Offers a 15-minute parenting survey for parents to learn their strengths and weaknesses in parenting and learn ways to improve. It is a 24 question, multiple choice test.
Family
Family Assessment
JBS International, Inc. (2019)
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Children's Bureau
Describes the family assessment process and the types of questions caseworkers will ask while trying to identify behaviors and conditions about the child, parent, and family that could contribute to safety threats and a risk of maltreatment in the home.
Family Assessment Tools (PDF - 275 KB)
Johnson, Stone, Lou, Vu, Ling, Mizrahi, & Austin (2016)
Systems to Family Stability National Policy Academy
Highlights research, evaluation reports, and other publications that include information on family assessments and family assessment instruments.
Overview of Assessment Tools (PDF - 302 KB)
National Family Preservation Network (2015)
Presents the North Carolina Assessment Scales (NCFAS), which measure family functioning from the perspective of the child welfare professional working with the family.
Protective Factors Surveys
FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention
Offers surveys designed for use with parents and caregivers receiving family support and child maltreatment prevention services. The surveys assess factors that can help prevent child abuse and neglect.
Trauma
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016)
Offers information on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) including how they can be prevented, research studies, resources, and journal articles on the topic.
Child Measures of Trauma and PTSD
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD (2018)
Presents information on a variety of measures for assessing trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in children and related resources.
Screening and Assessment
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Provides information about trauma-informed screening and assessment, including the types of tools that are available and strategies to engage families as well as considerations for implementation.
Sidran Institute
Publishes several measures of trauma/dissociation and books on the subject including resources for professionals, essential readings on trauma, links to other trauma information, hotlines, and more.