engleski

Matching interventions to the needs of children and youths at risk

The changes which occur within society, globally as well as those relating to specifically to Croatia, influence both the phenomenon of behavioural disorders and also the intervention systems designed to address such disorders. As a result of these changes, the situation in Croatia may require a more actuarial approach to the risk and needs assessment of children and youths with behavioural disorders. This paper, specifically elaborates on the problem of matching interventions to the needs of children and youths at risk with the instruments of assessment. The paper includes a description of the project ‘ Matching interventions with the needs of children and youth at risk – creating a model’. The rationale behind the project is to promote efficient intervention, based on the rights and needs of children and youths at risk. The focus is mainly on the instruments used for assessing the needs of children and youths at risk. These instruments could enrich Croatian practice if there was adequate intervention, standardization of the criteria used in assessments, and connection between the institutions which deal with children and youths at risk. It is not recommended that the use of assessment instruments should be the only criterion, but rather they should be one of the elements within the creation of the system. This paper presents the contribution of these instruments and their possibilities in practice, as presented to the symposium Social Work with Juvenile Offenders. The symposium started a discussion of possibilities, advantages and drawbacks of the assessment instruments. However, no matter which type of assessment is chosen, our primary goal is to identify children at risk or who have behavioural disorders, and then to include timely and appropriate intervention.

children and youth at risk; assessment of risks and needs; matching interventions

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