Violent Youth
Violent youth often have a variety of problems in school and the community, with peers, and at home (Bilchik, 1998). Tolan and Guerra (1994) found that multi-faceted assessment and treatment for juveniles with severe behavioral problems can be effective, especially when used in a community setting and targeting younger children and families. The greatest intensity of services should be reserved for the youth that are at the highest risk for severe aggressive and sexual acting out. Low risk youth will often do well with minimal services. Treatment should target the child’s needs (Loeber and Farrington, 1998). Having an easy to use tool to determine risk and the services needed can be very useful. The CARE (Child & Adolescent Risk Evaluation) is such an evaluation tool. It is being developed and field-tested by Dr. Kathryn Seifert, founder of Eastern Shore Psychological Services (ESPS).

The early results of CARE field-testing are promising. The sample size is 510. Initial findings are that youth with no history of aggression have the lowest scores; youth with moderate problems with aggression have moderate risk scores; and seriously aggressive and chronic offenders have the highest scores (r=.77, p=.0000). Divided into two segments, the test assesses both Risk Factors and Protective Factors with 49 questions that are easily completed by any worker through interview, knowledge of the youth, and file review. Both Static and dynamic factors are used. Dynamic factors like anger management skills are those that may respond to treatment, while static factors such as past abuse will not change over time.
Additionally, the form provides a treatment-planning tool based on the responses. The significance of the development of a tool such as the CARE is widespread and offers an opportunity for school and mental health professionals to access a reliable tool for determining the need for additional testing and for specific treatment protocols. In about 40 minutes, a teacher, mental health professional or trained caregiver can accurately determine the type and intensity of services that are needed for the youth.

Among adult actuarial risk tools, the more risk factors that an adult offender has, the greater his risk for recidivism. The CARE is constructed in a similar fashion. Risk factors include violent family background, past assaults, youth abuse or neglect, harm to animals, enuresis, psychiatric problems (Briscoe, 1996), belief in the legitimacy of aggression to solve problems, school problems, and firesetting. Resiliency factors include nurturing, stable caregiver with consistent, non-harsh disciplinary techniques, school success, and prosocial peers. More Risk factors result in a higher risk score. Resiliency scores are subtracted from the risk score.

For high-risk youth, multi-faceted treatment is essential (Bilchik, 1998). A treatment model developed by ESPS focuses on the entire family unit and services are designed to address multiple needs when they are identified. Through traditional individual and group therapies, as well as in-home and in-school services such as therapeutic mentoring, psychiatric rehabilitation services, and intervention and prevention specialists, families are treated as a whole unit. Collaborative efforts of all available services within a community are supported through interagency treatment teams. With a continuum of care, services and monitoring can be increased when the youth is unable to exert his/her own self-control and begins to act out. They are decreased when a youth has had significant treatment and is doing well. The treatment team can increase or decrease services. Coordination with parole and probation is essential, as well.

For information email Dr. Seifert

Other Pages

GENERAL INDEX

Childhood Trauma: Its Relationship to Behavioral and Psychiatric Disorders

Criminal Justice Index

CARE Information

Other assessment links

CARE references

CARE (Child and Adolescent Risk Evaluation), a Youth Violence Prevention and Case Management Tool for Child Care Workers Now Available at Research Press