INTEGRATING FAMILY ASSESSMENT INTO SOCIAL-WORK-PRACTICE

Despite the existence of a number of potentially useful instruments fo r assessing family functioning, most social workers rely on idiosyncra tic indicators when assessing clients' families. This article demonstr ates the applicability of a classification system for the Family Envir onment Scale (FES) that requires no computer skill or mathematical exp ertise. Data from a randomly selected sample of 58 client families wer e subjected to the classification system, which yielded five distinct groups and accounted for 83% of the sample. When combined with clinica l observations, the descriptions of the groups can aid in planning int erventions and organizing services.