ASSESSMENT OF TROUBLED FAMILIES

Competent assessment is critical for effective social work interventio n with dysfunctional families. Yet it is not uncommon for social worke rs to conduct assessments without getting the perspectives of all fami ly members or to use methods without proven reliability and validity. In this study, we tested the utility of a package of four standardized instruments as port of assessments of 105 families who sought service s in a juvenile corrections setting for their teenage children. Result s demonstrate that parents and adolescents con complete standardized a ssessment instruments and that the information provided can be a valua ble contribution to understanding the problems of distressed families.