SCARF: The Structured Child Assessment of Relationships in Families: an engaging, lively and quick method of getting a snapshot of a child's view of their family members.
The SCARF is a child assessment tool for trained professionals. The SCARF quickly assesses children's views of their parents and other family members in a format that is structured and fun.
Children select silhouettes of family members and communicate their perceptions by using colorful rubber stamps with a booklet of carefully selected statements. The SCARF takes about thirty minutes.
We provide start-up kits, booklets, and reports. The report provides a snapshot of the family. Measures include Emotional Security, Positive and Negative Parenting and Co-Parenting – with associated sub-scales. The start-up kit includes two tailored reports.
This systematic assessment contributes to the assessment of a family through the child's eyes. It should only be used along with other forms of assessment of family relationships.
The SCARF can be useful for:
Child assessment
Child custody evaluation
Assessment of attachment
Divorce and separation
Extended family assessment
Kindergarten, elementary and middle school children
"That was good: it helped me talk about my feelings." (nine-year-old boy)
"The SCARF questions cover relevant family and parent behaviors. It also provides non-leading prompts that give children, especially those that are reticent, more voice to report their family experiences." (Albert R. Gibbs, Ph.D., Director, Co-Parent Solutions, Los Angeles, California)
Articles
The scientific underpinnings of the SCARF are described in the article: Strachan, A.M., Lund, M.E. & Garcia, J.A.(2010). Assessing children's perceptions of family relationships: An interactive instrument for use in custody disputes. Journal of Child Custody, 7(3), 192-216.
