The Individualised Needs for Service Assessment (INSA) for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance

The Individualised Needs for Service Assessment (INSA) for children and ado lescents with serious emotional disturbance was developed in response to th e lack of a systematic approach to needs assessment compatible with individ ualised service planning. Functioning is assessed for 10 functional domains . Service providers rate service provision using a taxonomy of generic serv ice items that are generalisable and comprehensible across different organi sational units and systems of care. In addition, service providers rate the anticipated clinical effectiveness of each service item and the acceptabil ity of each item to the child or adolescent and family. Drawing on a simila r logic structure to that characterising the Needs for Care Assessment of t he British Medical Research Council, these data are linked to produce a nee d status, for example unmet need, no need and met need. The INSA may be sui table for use by service providers, planners, policy makers, researchers, m anaged care organisations and service purchasers.