Citation

Leschied AW, Chiodo D, Whitehead PC, Hurley D, Marshall L. Child Welf. 2003; 82(5): 527-540.

Affiliation

Faculty of Education, School of Social Work, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Child Welfare League of America)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

14524424

Abstract

The importance of risk assessment is juxtaposed with the lack of empirical support regarding the validity of risk inventories. This study compared risk ratings of one risk assessment tool to decisions made by case managers. The researchers sampled 450 children and compared predictive utility of risk assessment to child protection decisions. Risk assessment was consistent with clinical judgment in 74% to 81% of cases, more than previously reported in studies of risk assessment validity. Further analyses identified discriminate functions at the instrument's category and individual-item levels. The results have implications for the validity of the instrument and its utility in child welfare.

Language: en