THE FAMILY-CENTERED PROGRAM RATING-SCALE - AN INSTRUMENT FOR PROGRAM-EVALUATION AND CHANGE

Programs that provide services for young children with special needs a re now planning ways to support the child's family as well. In respons e to the great diversity in the way programs define and implement a fa mily-centered approach to service delivery, researchers at the Beach C enter on Families and Disability designed and tested the Family-Center ed Program Rating Scale (FamPRS). In addition to being used as a compo nent of a comprehensive program evaluation, the FamPRS may be used for program planning, staff development, and research. This article descr ibes how the rating scale was developed, provides information about it s psychometric properties, and makes recommendations for its appropria te uses.