{"id":32266,"date":"2025-09-16T16:54:41","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T16:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/wellbeing-screening-assessment-tool\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T21:18:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T21:18:44","slug":"herramienta-de-evaluacion-de-tamizaje-de-bienestar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/wellbeing-screening-assessment-tool\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfCu\u00e1les son algunas herramientas de evaluaci\u00f3n y detecci\u00f3n que ayudan a apoyar el bienestar de los ni\u00f1os?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Summary<\/h3>\n

This page is intended to help child protection agencies identify and select screening and assessment tools that support child well-being. It includes descriptions of several commonly used tools and considerations for their use.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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The child welfare system is understood to have three main goals: the safety, permanency, and well-being of children. However, the main indicators of success for most child protection agencies typically reflect only two of those goals \u2014 safety and permanency. These two goals have clearer definitions and measures than well-being, and child welfare currently has no standard method of assessing well-being.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

There is a growing understanding, however, of the vital role that well-being plays in child safety and permanency, and hence the responsibility of child protection agencies to support the well-being of the children in their care. To fulfill this responsibility, it is critical that agencies use multiple tools to assess children for trauma, behavioral health, and developmental needs, which can provide a holistic picture of a child\u2019s overall well-being. Parents should be involved in the assessment process and any indicated follow-up services, as parents are critical to child well-being regardless of where their child may be living.<\/p>\n

Early and regular assessments can help identify children\u2019s needs and strengths, inform appropriate service plans, lead to better-matched out-of-home placements, and support successful permanency outcomes,2<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>3<\/sup><\/a> all of which are essential to a child\u2019s well-being. Safety and risk assessments, which are also critical for all children impacted by the child welfare system, are discussed in a separate brief<\/a>. These assessments should not create a barrier to family reunification. Instead, keeping parents at the center of this process is critical to supporting the parent-child relationship and reunification, whenever possible.<\/p>\n

This information packet is intended to help child protection agencies identify and select screening and assessment tools that support child well-being, and includes descriptions of several commonly used tools.<\/p>\n

Considerations<\/h2>\n

Agencies need structured processes for understanding children\u2019s needs in real time and over time. This is key to identifying appropriate placement settings and informing effective service planning to support well-being and the achievement of timely reunification or other form of permanency. Deciding how best to assess child well-being can be challenging, however. A 2024 review of tools assessing child mental health and well-being found little consensus across studies on which tools to recommend.4<\/sup><\/a><\/a> Among the 41 reviews examined, 60 tools were recommended \u2014 but only nine were recommended by more than one review. Two of those, both of which assess general mental health, are described below: the Pediatric Symptom Checklist and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.<\/p>\n

To ensure tools are appropriate for the population of children served as well as the goals of the agency, agencies need processes for reviewing, piloting, evaluating, and selecting tools. A 2017 review of child mental health assessments<\/a> conducted for the California Department of Health Care Services provides an example of a thorough review process, which included: (1) an environmental scan to identify tools; (2) an evaluation of the tools identified, through a review of the scientific evidence in combination with clinical expertise; and (3) a set of minimum criteria for selecting a tool, based on the agency\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, decisions regarding the selection of tools should be data-driven, structured, and collaborative, including input from individuals with lived experience<\/strong>. A 2014 Children\u2019s Bureau publication<\/a> on child well-being screening and assessment includes several questions for jurisdictions to consider at both the agency level and the child level:<\/p>\n

Agency level<\/h3>\n
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  1. What is the purpose of the tool? Is it being used to facilitate case decision-making or to inform clinical practice?<\/li>\n
  2. What type of research has been conducted on the tool? Does it have established reliability, validity, and norms?<\/li>\n
  3. What are the budget and the cost for the tool?<\/li>\n
  4. How are data from the measure scored and stored? Is it necessary to create a system that stores the information gathered? Does the tool provide feedback to the caseworker or clinician in an efficient and timely manner?<\/li>\n
  5. How is the information shared? Can information be shared across the child welfare and mental health systems?<\/li>\n
  6. What staff are available to administer the tool? What is their level of education and experience? How much extra time is involved in completing a screening and using the information for case and\/or treatment planning purposes?<\/li>\n
  7. Does the tool track change over time and indicate if the child has improved?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Child level<\/h3>\n
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    1. Is the child old enough and able to answer questions about personal history?<\/li>\n
    2. Can the child read, or will a computer read the question to the child?<\/li>\n
    3. Is the caregiver a reliable informant?<\/li>\n
    4. If the caseworker is completing the screening, do the case files provide enough information?<\/li>\n
    5. With whom will the information be shared?<\/li>\n
    6. Will the results inform case and\/or treatment planning?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Child well-being screening and assessment tools<\/h2>\n

      Various screening and assessment tools are available. Some have been specifically created for child welfare, while others originate from other fields and have been adapted. Screening tools typically are brief questionnaires examining risk factors or symptoms<\/strong> that help determine whether more comprehensive assessments \u2014 such as for trauma, substance use, or mental health \u2014 are warranted. Assessments are more comprehensive, designed to capture specific information about a child\u2019s history, symptoms, functioning, and support systems<\/strong>. Both types of tools can be used by child protection agencies and their partners to address various needs. In addition to the aforementioned 2017 recommendation report on child mental health, which examined 11 tools, the California Evidence-based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare<\/a> and The National Child Traumatic Stress Network<\/a> also review a variety of screening and assessment tools. Tools frequently used in child welfare are presented below:<\/p>\n

      Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3\u00ae)<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n

      The ASQ is a standardized tool for screening children\u2019s development. It consists of questions documenting developmental progress in five domains: communication; gross motor skills; fine motor skills; problem-solving; and personal-social skills.<\/p>\n

      Parents\/caregivers complete the questionnaires, which are scored by professionals, paraprofessionals, or clerical staff.<\/p>\n

      Utility and considerations for use<\/h3>\n

      The ASQ can identify potential delays or issues early in children\u2019s development to keep them on track toward meeting their developmental milestones.<\/p>\n

      Also available is the Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE2\u00ae)<\/a>, which \u00a0screens young children\u2019s social- emotional development in seven key areas: adaptive functioning; affect; autonomy; compliance; interaction with people; self-regulation; and social-communication.<\/p>\n

      A cost is associated with ASQ use.<\/p>\n

      Target age \/ Time to administer<\/h3>\n