The group home takes low-and medium-risk juvenile offenders, but it objects sex offenders, arsonists, and murderers. Therefore, it is essential to know the assessment tools to help weed out the high-risk offenders that are refused. Moreover, the screening tools will help screen potential residents of the facility to ensure that the correct type of resident is chosen for the highly desired available spots at the group home. Some of the assessment tools to be employed include Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI), Early Assessment Risk List for Boys (EARL-20B), Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA), and Risk Factor Profile Instrument (RFPI). On the other hand, the screening tools will include the School Social Behavior Scales (SSBS), the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT), Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS), and the Detection of Alcohol and Drug Problems in Adolescents (DEP-ADO). The best optio of assessment for the facility will be the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI).
Assessment Tools to help Determine how I will Weed out High-risk Offenders
The four tools will be of great aid to the group home for assessment in order to weed out high-risk offenders. First, the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI) consists of pre-screening and full assessment. This tool rates youths as low, medium, and high-risk offenders. It entails the risk profiles, which include factors like the previous legal history, alcohol and drugs use, mental health aggressiveness, social aspects, and cognitive skills. It applies to both male and female juveniles of ages between 12 and 18 in justice settings. However, a specialized version of this tool exists for high-risk youths who commit serious offenses. YASI will help the group home as it involves the review of files, conducting interviews with children and family, and consulting the collaterals ( Baldry & Sorrentino, 2017). As such, the file review, interviews, and consultation can be used to know the high-risk offenders and weed them out of the group home.
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Also, the group home will make use of the Early Assessment Risk List for Boys (EARL-20B), which is a tool used for boys under the age of twelve ( Baldry & Sorrentino, 2017). The objective of the tool is to analyze the risk and develop risk management programs to prevent future offenses and anti-social behaviors for high-risk boys. It comprises the individual risk factors, environmental factors, and the willingness of both parent and child in services. It is useful as the assessors will be able to categorize the risks according to clinical judgment as low, high, or medium risk. The tool can be used since the ratings indicate low, medium, and high risk; therefore, the high-risk offenders will be excluded in the group home.
Additionally, the Risk Factor Profile Instrument (RFPI), explained as the needs and risk assessment too in juveniles can be significant for the group home. It entails the identifying and evaluating of factors including social and familial environment. It ascertains the criminal behavior of the youth and the probability of risk recurrence. It correlates the crime and the possibility of recurring. Additionally, it is also concerned about the risk factors changing over time together with their mitigation. Therefore, clients with risk factors with a higher probability of recurring would be eliminated from or not admitted to the group home.
Furthermore, the group home can employ the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA). This assessment tool has instruments which assess behavior, emotions and social problems, and adaptive functioning of both children and youths ( Baldry & Sorrentino, 2017). ASEBA provides forms to be completed by the clients, their parents, or collaterals to describe the client being assessed. Moreover, it has a form to assess behavior samples in group settings. The samples are provided by observers, clinical interviewers, and psychological examiners. It can be used as the home in a group setting; therefore, the high-risk offenders will be identified and set off from the group home.
Types of Clients that will be accepted by the Group Home
The group home will accept clients who are low risk and medium risk offenders with regard to social problems. Nonetheless, the home objects sex offenders, arsonists, and murderers. As such, it will accept juvenile offenders who carry out vandalism and graffiti, those joyriding cars, underage drinkers, those who conduct simple assault, shoplifters, and those who miss school. Similarly, the group home will accept juveniles violating a town or county curfew, those holding and using tobacco, those being past the control of parents or custodians, those driving without a license, and those who run away from home. Besides, the group home will accept juveniles cursing teachers and fight in public, those possessing and using Marijuana, those violating school dress code, those who do not wear a seat belt, among others.
Screening Potential Clients in the Facility to ensure the Correct Types are Chosen
First, the facility will make use of the School Social Behavior Scales (SSBS) screening tool, which is a behavior rating instrument in assessing social and antisocial behavior of kids in grades K through 12 ( Baldry & Sorrentino, 2017). The two general scores reported include social competence and antisocial behavior of a kid. Moreover, the subscore reporting of the tool that will help the group home include p eer relations, self-management, academic behavior, irritability, aggressiveness, and defiance of a kid. The two scales of SSBS on two sides of a paper and each has thirty-two items, which are then rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Therefore, higher Social Competence scores show better levels of social adjustment while higher Antisocial Behaviors indicate antisocial behavior. Also, the facility can make use of the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT). POSIT identifies adolescents in need of further assessment in substance use and other functional areas. They include physical and mental health, family and peer relations, educational and vocational status, social abilities, leisure and recreation, and aggressive/delinquent conduct. Hence, these will help the facility to choose low risk and medium risk offenders.
Moreover, the facility can make use of the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) rating scales, which enables directed assessment of persons and small groups to help evaluate their social skills, challenging behaviors, and academic ability. It is suitable for kids between three and eighteen years. Standard scores and percentile ranks are used in measuring the social skills, challenging behaviors, and academic abilities. The behavior levels can be below average, average, or above average. As such, the screening tool will point out the behaviors that may require intervention in the group home. Likewise, the group home can make use of the Detection of Alcohol and Drug Problems in Adolescents (DEP-ADO) screening tool. The tool was intended to pinpoint the challenging use of alcohol together with other drugs. It entails eight questions addressing the frequency of use in the past twelve months, substance usage in the last month, age of beginning, use of injection drugs, number of 5 or more drinks in a distinct occasion in the previous thirty days and last twelve months, the adverse effects of substance abuse; and the regularity of cigarette use. It is employed in adolescents aged fourteen to nineteen.
Youth Assessment, and Screening Instrument (YASI) and Importance
A potential resident at the group home should undergo the Youth Assessment, and Screening Instrument (YASI), which consists of pre-screening and full assessment. The group home will review the clients’ files, conduct interviews with the youths and their families, and finally consult the collaterals ( Risk Management Authority, 2018). The assessment will entail risk profiles, which include factors like the previous legal history, alcohol and drugs, mental health aggressiveness, social aspects, and cognitive skills. The tool is effective because it rates youths as low, medium and high-risk offenders and applies to both male and female juveniles in justice settings. Moreover, it has a specialized version that exists for high-risk youths, who commit serious offenses. However, the assessor has to undergo the required training to administer the tool.
References
Achenbach, T. M. (2015). Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA). The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology, 1–8. doi:10.1002/9781118625392.wbecp150 . retrieved from http://sci-hub.tw/10.1002/9781118625392.wbecp150
Baldry, A. C., & Sorrentino, A. (2017). Risk and Needs Assessment. The Encyclopedia of Juvenile Delinquency and Justice, 1–8. doi:10.1002/9781118524275.ejdj0110 . Retrieved from http://sci-hub.tw/10.1002/9781118524275.ejdj0110
Risk Management Authority. (2018). Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI). Retrieved from https://www.rma.scot/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RATED_YASI_October-2018.pdf
