Clinical assessment instruments in the treatment of child abuse and neglect

Accurate assessment is essential for effective practice (Wodarski, 1981). In child welfare, where assessments must depend on direct as well as indirect evidence, data on parental attitudes toward the victim, problem behaviors within the family constellation, and possible compromising psychopathologies can be obtained through the use of standardized scales. A variety of objective measures pertinent to the assessment of child abuse and neglect are now available that can be used by practitioners with minimal disruption in terms of time, energy, cost, and ease of administration. The purpose of this article is to review a variety of instruments that child welfare workers, specifically, and practitioners involved in children's services, in general, can use in the assessment of child abuse and neglect.