Screening & Assessment

Practitioners often use questionnaires to screen and assess victims of crime and to connect or refer them to appropriate services. Screening questionnaires are typically shorter and used at intake to determine what type(s) of victimization the clients have faced, and if they need immediate assistance (i.e. crisis intervention). Assessment questionnaires are typically longer and used to obtain detailed information about clients’ needs and victimization history (i.e. to develop a treatment or case management plan).

Generally speaking, screenings and assessments should be conducted in an ongoing, routine manner to be most effective. Questionnaires must also be used by properly trained professionals in accordance with screening and assessment training materials and relevant legal mandates. Whenever possible, it is best to use an instrument that has been validated—meaning it has been tested for accuracy, reliability, and similar characteristics.

 

Tools and Tips

CVR Quick Reference Guide: Screening and Assessment, 2019 (Center for Victim Research). This two-page overview provides an introduction to screening and assessment tools, with a summary of the differences and tips for selecting and utilizing instruments.

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Child Traumatic Stress Screening and Assessment (National Child Traumatic Stress Network). This web resources includes an overview of trauma screening and trauma-informed mental health assessment for providers to identify children’s and families’ needs, as well as NCTSN-developed resources and a searchable database of detailed reviews of measures utilized in the field of child traumatic stress.

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Mental Health and Substance Abuse Screening Tools (SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions).  SAMHSA offers a list of resources and a large number of sample forms or tools to screen for mental health and substance use problems, including options to screen for depression, suicide risk, and trauma.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Screening Tools

Domestic Violence Evaluation Screening/Assessment Tools (Idaho Domestic Assault and Battery Evaluator Advisory Board). This spreadsheet of domestic violence screening and assessment tools is organized by type (risk assessment, substance abuse, mental health, victim information, etc.) and a description, information on cost and administration, and where to find more information.

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Screening and Assessment for Human Trafficking Eguide (OVC TTAC). The fourth chapter of OVC’s Human Trafficking Task Force e-Guide contains a section on victim service provider intake and needs assessment, which includes tips, examples, and a model timeline, as well as links to additional resources.

human-trafficking-task-force-e-guide

Trainings

Assessing Victims’ Needs (Office for Victims of Crime). OVC’s Training and Technical Assistance Center offers this 45-minute segment within their Victim Assistance Training Online program.  The course is free but requires registration.

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Additional Resources

Screening and Assessment of Co-Occurring Disorders in the Justice System (SAMHSA 2016). This guide examines key issues for screening and assessing co-occurring mental health and substance disorders in the justice system. It then presents a summary, the strengths and weaknesses, and availability of a number of different instruments.

Screening and Assessment of Co-Occurring Disorders in the Justice System

Adult Human Trafficking Screening Tool and Guide (Administration for Children and Families). This guide and toolkit helps public and behavioral health, health care, and social work professionals screen for human trafficking or risk of victimization, offering administration recommendations, ethical and safety considerations, and other tools.

Adult Human Trafficking Screening Tool and Guide

Trauma-Based Screenings and Assessments (Administration for Children and Families). Presented for practitioners in the child welfare system, this guide introduces screening and assessments for trauma symptoms, factors to consider when selecting a tool, and a range of tools and other resources.

Administration for Children and Families

Domestic Violence Assessment Tools (Domestic Shelters). This web resources outlines several of the prominent assessment tools used within the domestic violence field, including the Danger Assessment, ACE Quiz, and SHARP.

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Search the Screening and Assessment Tools Collection

CVR has added a Screening and Assessment Tools collection to the library. It features existing tools that practitioners in a variety of settings can use with potential victims to identify the presence or risk of victimization. Each entry includes links to the tool and/or related study as well as clear information about its purpose, administration, availability, and other details to help choose the right instruments. Although CVR provides this collection as a public service and does not endorse specific instruments, the collection only contains tools that have been validated in some way.

The collection is a work in progress, with tools added by the type of victimization measured. Please contact us if there is a tool you think we should include.

View all Screening & Assessment instruments.