Screening and Assessment System Development

The National Assessment Center Association is excited to release a new resource for our member Assessment Centers: the Screening and Assessment Tool Inventory! This inventory was developed to give Centers a central database of available screening and assessment tools to include information on the population of intended use (age and decision point), length, administration, and cost.  The screening and assessment tools listed in this inventory correlate with the screening and assessment topic domains listed in the Assessment Center Framework.  While this inventory is meant to be a resource to new and existing Assessment Centers on choosing the tools that best fit the needs of youth and families in their communities, selection of a tool is one piece of the overall screening and assessment system.  Assessment Centers should adopt a screening and assessment system, not merely screening or assessment tools, to ensure positive outcomes.  This means thorough implementation, involving staff training and appropriate, thoughtful policies and procedures (Vincent, 2012). 

The below graphic puts emphasis on critical considerations Assessment Centers should use to ensure an effective screening and assessment system.  In addition to these considerations, Assessment Center stakeholders should review the Screening and Assessment Core Component within the Assessment Center Framework beginning on page 17.  

• Studying Drivers of Risk and Needs Assessment Instrument Implementation in Juvenile Justice (2018) Gina Vincent, Christopher J. Sullivan, Carrie Sullivan, Laura Guy, Edward Latessa, Jennifer Tyson, & Benjamin Adams
• "This bulletin describes Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention supported research findings on factors that promote effective implementation of risk and needs assessment instruments in the juvenile justice system."
• Guidance for Trauma Screening in Schools (2016) Katie Eklund, Ph.D., and Eric Rossen, Ph.D.
• "The brief provides an overview of the prevalence and impact of trauma among children and adolescents, the role of screening and assessment in the identification of trauma, school-based screening considerations, and how to link screening data with potential interventions within schools."
• Identifying Dual Status Youth (2015) Amy Wevodau, Ph.D., Keith Cruise, Ph.D., M.L.S., & Thomas Grisso, Ph.D.
• "Imagine that a clinician or agency has decided to put in place a way to identify dual status youths’ trauma-related needs. How should they go about it? That is the question addressed in Identifying Dual Status Youth with Trauma-Related Problems, the second brief in a series on trauma-related procedures for use with dual status young youth."
• Risk Assessment in Juvenile Justice: A Guidebook for Implementation (2012) Gina M. Vincent, Ph.D., Laura S. Guy, Ph.D., and Thomas Grisso, Ph.D.
• "The primary purpose of this Guide is to provide a structure for jurisdictions, juvenile probation or centralized statewide agencies striving to implement risk assessment or to improve their current risk assessment practices."
• Screening and Assessment in Juvenile Justice Systems: Identifying Mental Health Needs and Risk of Reoffending (2012) Gina M. Vincent, Ph.D.
• "This resource series supports the planning and implementation of effective services, policies, and practices that improve outcomes for children, youth, and young adults involved or at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system as well as their families."
• Identifying Mental Health and Substance Use Problems of Children and Adolescents (2011) SAMSHA
• "This guide was created to promote the early identification of children and adolescents with mental health and substance use problems as well as to provide guidance, tools, and resources for early identification—including a compendium of the most developmentally, culturally, and environmentally appropriate screening instruments."
• Mental Health Screening. The Next Frontier (2007) National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice
• "The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the new issues that have emerged in the field as a result of widespread mental health screening within juvenile justice systems and programs and offer guidance and clarification for responding to them."

Members ONLY: Click to access the Screening and Assessment Tool Inventory