While considering the privacy challenges of information sharing, the arrangement of partnership protocols and collaborative agreements could help develop local processes that are standardized, sound and shared by the relevant partners involved.
One of the inherent limitations of certain instruments is that they are designed using cut-offs, i. Interpreting results that fall within two points of the cut-off between two categories requires considerable vigilance to avoid overrepresentation and labelling of at-risk youth, as well as the failure to identify and provide services to youth with real needs. While recognizing their usefulness and scientific foundation, the tools are neither a panacea nor a predictor of future behaviour: they are indicators that are themselves subject to error.
A risk assessment tool can generate probability errors. For example, some youth assessed at a high risk of re-offending will never re-offend, while youth assessed at a low risk of re-offending will re-offend. Furthermore, we must also constantly be aware that the results do not allow for a distinction, within a group of at-risk youth, between those who will have minor behavioural problems over a fairly short period of time, and those who will adopt a life trajectory oriented toward more serious and chronic crimes.
Based on the complexity of the case and the seriousness of the behaviours, practitioners must act in accordance with their professional code and their expertise.
Footnote 33 As pointed out by the Youth Justice Board, Footnote 34 in order to reduce the risks of subjectivity and errors in interpretation, it is important to discuss during team meetings the results obtained and to continuously focus on the reasons and facts that support decisions.
Stigmatization, or the process of labelling certain individuals, is a significant weakness associated with use of these tools, and should not be overlooked. Stigmatization can lead to over-assessment of risk for youth said to be at high-risk, as can the stigmatization of youth who are labelled at-risk or in need of control, Footnote 35 and then become a lever leading to more severe punitive measures Footnote 36 being imposed on this population.
In a delinquency-related field, according to an opinion poll conducted in England by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Footnote 37 people who suffer from dependencies, in particular alcoholism and substance abuse, Footnote 38 are perceived and labelled by the general public as dangerous and unpredictable.
The results of this poll have shown that labelling unreasonably exacerbates the social handicaps that these people suffer from. This stigmatization leads to increased isolation, social distress and difficulty finding employment.
With regard to the age variable, it is essential to ensure that the tool's age group corresponds to the age group targeted by the program. The variables and aspects measured by the tool will not be the same across different age groups. For children aged 5 to 10, the tools will mainly focus on factors such as aggressive and violent thinking, pro-social behaviour and the adoption of aggressive behaviour. For young people aged 11 to 24, the tools will mainly address factors such as violent and offending behaviours, conflict resolution strategies, social and emotional skills, peer influence, parental supervision and monitoring, family relationships, exposure to violence, integration in the group, and neighbourhood characteristics.
Footnote 40 Also, the weight given to certain risk factors will vary depending on the age group. In terms of the gender variable, more in-depth research should be conducted to develop gender-specific tools.
Certain factors, such as the prevalence of family risk factors and internalized behavioural problems, seem to be more present in girls, confirming the importance of having a gender-specific tool in order to assess these factors.
Footnote 44 On the other hand, one meta-analysis based on predictive risk assessment results according to gender has shown that predictive validity varied very little whether the tool was used with boys or girls.
Other experimental and longitudinal studies should focus on analyzing gender specificity in developmental offending trajectories for girls, and to the preponderance, frequency and comorbidity of certain risk factors. Using the same tool with different cultures raises the issues of limitations and the lack of data on specificities in the nature and intensity of certain risk factors linked to specific cultural groups, and whether or not these tools require adaptation. Over-representation of youth at risk from cultural groups caused by the inappropriate use of tools is a factor that should not be overlooked.
In this context, according to experts, the over-representation of Black children could be perceived as racial segregation or an attempt to remove Black children from the public school system. There are many repercussions at all levels of such over-representation of one segment of the population. Important consideration should be given to developing research projects into identifying the specific risk factors for offending among youth from cultural groups, in the Canadian context, so as to determine whether it is necessary to adapt the tools for identifying and assessing youth at risk of offending.
There is a considerable body of knowledge on the risk factors associated with child and youth offending. Incorporating screening and risk assessment tools into a prevention initiative will reinforce the actions and interventions to be taken by directing them toward appropriate targets, structuring them and modelling them based on the nature and level of the risk presented by the young person.
Furthermore, identifying youth at risk before they escalate into an aggravated offending trajectory would help improve their positive development into adulthood and reduce the social and economic costs associated with youth crime.
Whether they are used in the field of youth justice or in the related field of delinquency prevention, the tools support the decision making and the analysis of monitoring level necessary for interventions. These tools must be used to help with decision making and implementation of structured actions. Furthermore, the initial step of the process is to ensure having the proper training as well as the necessary experience before using a tool.
Nonetheless, a better understanding is needed of all the risk and protective factors surrounding the processes of persisting in and abandoning an offending trajectory, for both boys and girls, for different age groups, and at specific transition points in their development.
More in-depth knowledge of risk and protective factors would facilitate the selection of tools in order to improve the screening of young people, more accurately assess their level of risk of offending, and implement effectively preventive programs based on research into at-risk youth. Augimeri, L. In Grisso, T.
Vincent and D. Seagrave Eds. Koegl and S. Bailey, S. Juvenile Delinquency. In Rutter, M. Rutter's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Blackwell Publishing, 5th edition, Chapter 68, Beuhring, T. In Corrado, R. Bonta, J. Risk and Need Assessment. In McIvor, G. Raynor Eds. London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Campbell, M. French and P. Ottawa: Public Safety Canada.
Carrington, P. Matarazzo and P. Court Careers of a Canadian Birth Cohort. Crime and Justice Research Paper Series. Corrado, R. Crisp, A. Dahlberg, L. Dumaray, M. Grisso, T. New York: Guilford Press. Hahhah-Moffat, K. Hawkins, J. Predictors of Youth Violence. Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Hawkins, S. Hinshaw, S. Hoge, R. Howell, J. In Loeber, R.
Farrington Eds. Thousand Oaks, Huizinga, D. Loeber and L. Co-occurrence of Delinquency and Other Problem Behaviors. Janosz, M. Le Blanc. Kamphaus, R. Boston: A Pearson Education Company. Le Blanc, M. Levene, K.
Loeber, R. Farrington and D. Child Delinquency: Early Intervention and Prevention. Bulletin Series Child Delinquency. Logue, L. Concepts of Risk and Protective Factors. Backgrounder distributed at an information session. No dated. Merrell, K. Miller, J. Some Practical and Theoretical Lessons. Minogue, N. Kingery and L. Approaches to Assessing Violence Among Youth. Moffitt, T. Moretti, M. Morizot, J. National Crime Prevention Centre. Crime Prevention Glossary.
Promising and Model Crime Prevention Programs. O'Shaughnessy, J. Piper, C. Investing in Children. Policy, Law and Practice in Context. Willan Publishing. Reppucci, D. Youth Violence: Risk and Protective Factors.
Rutter, M. Giller and A. Antisocial Behavior by Young People. New York: Cambridge University Press. Savignac, J. Schwalbe, C. Scottish Government the. Serin, R. Psychological Intervention in Corrections. In Leis, T. Motivk and J. Ogloff Eds. Ottawa: Correctional Service Canada, Smith, R. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Sprague, J. Thornberry, T. The Prevention of Serious Delinquency and Violence. In Howell, James C. Sage Publications, Huizinga and R. Vitaro, F. Wasserman, G. Prevention of Serious and Violent Juvenile Offending.
Wiebush, R. Williams, S. Youth Justice Board. BASC-2 BESS is considered to be an effective system designed for use in school settings to identify students at risk of developing behavioural or emotional problems.
These three forms teachers, parents and self-report can be used individually or in any combination. The BASC-2 BESS is a screening tool designed for use by schools, mental health clinics, pediatric clinics, communities and researchers to identify young people at risk. Results are provided as percentiles and T-scores. Once the young people at risk have been identified, it is recommended that they be more thoroughly assessed, for example, with an assessment tool such as the BASC To obtain more information regarding the required qualifications, the training availability and the required materials forms, software, manual, training materials, etc.
Visit the Web site in order to obtain more information regarding the materials availability and related costs. Gladman, M. Reynolds, C. AGS Publishing. It is intended as:. The SSBS contains 65 items distributed into two scales: Scale A consists of positive behaviours and prosocial skills, and Scale B comprises negative and problematic behaviours.
All sets of prosocial skills and antisocial behaviours assessed by the SSBS were selected because they frequently emerge in school settings and therefore reflect the experiences of that environment. Once scoring is completed for each scale, the total score is then converted into social functioning levels, which are the basis for the following findings:. To obtain more information regarding the required qualifications, the training availability and the required materials for the SSBS and the HCSBS forms, software, manual, training materials, etc.
SASSI-A2 is a screening instrument designed to identify young people who have a substance abuse and substance dependence. The same form can be used for both boys and girls, but the rating scales are different for each gender. The questionnaire takes 15 to 20 minutes to administer. This instrument is equally useful both in dependence treatment programs and in correctional settings. This tool contains direct and indirect subscales that operate dynamically together to screen young people with substance use disorders regardless of their honesty or motivation Feldstein and Miller Feldstein, S.
As its name indicates, the Problem-Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers POSIT is a screening instrument designed to identify at-risk youth with potential problems in one or more of ten areas of psychosocial functioning and who require more thorough assessment.
After obtaining POSIT results, assessors can use another rigorous assessment tool to conduct a more thorough assessment of the areas where problems were identified and then develop an intervention plan specifically tailored to the adolescent's needs.
POSIT was designed to be used by several groups: school personnel, juvenile and family court personnel, medical and mental health care providers, and staff in substance use disorder treatment programs. Usually POSIT is completed individually by the adolescents, while the administrator remains available to answer any questions they may have. POSIT is a self-report instrument.
The final score in each of these 10 areas can be calculated by hand or through available software. Once a total score is calculated for each area, the POSIT administrator can use empirically derived cut-off scores to classify the youth's risk level as low, medium or high for each of the 10 areas.
Dembo, R. Problem-Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers. In Grisso T. Knight, J. Latimer, W. McLaney, M. Santisteban, D. This tool is used for identification of problem or at-risk use in adolescents. The results obtained by administering the DEP-ADO indicate to the assessor whether there are grounds for intervention or referral to a front-line organization or an organization specializing in substance addiction.
The tool has not been validated for ages 12 to 13, but clinical studies have shown that it is still appropriate for use with this age group. It can also be administered as a self-report questionnaire in a group setting for clinical or research purposes.
At this time, direct supervision by a clinician is indicated. It takes about 15 minutes to administer. Additional time should be allowed for interpreting results and providing feedback to respondents. National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Resource: Interactive e-learning Tool for Strengths Conversations. Resource: Supporting Decision Making Recording. Partnership for Results. Promise Neighborhoods. Youth ChalleNGe Program. Youth M. Departments 4-H Military Partnerships.
Department of Health and Human Services. Adventure Central. Call for Nominations: Youth Listening Session. How much do you know about…4-H and Positive Youth Development? Just Launched! Redesigned YE4C. National Youth Listening Tour. Reports and Recommendations for Core Components. Youth Engaged 4 Change. Programs 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Administration for Native Americans. Children, Youth, and Families at Risk.
Family and Youth Services Bureau. Federal Youth Court Program. National 4-H Headquarters. National Guard Youth Challenge Program. Neighborhood Networks.
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