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Development of the Checklist of Service Needs and Barriers (C-SNAB) Measure for Caregivers Involved in Child Maltreatment Investigations

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Abstract

Caregivers involved in child welfare report receiving fewer services than they anticipated or desired. To date, service needs and barriers research has focused on mental health care, though this pattern of unmet needs likely extends to other critically important areas (i.e., physical health, basic needs, school, social support). Further, there is lack of a standardized measure that captures these constructs. The current study developed a self-report measure of needs, use, and barriers across a wide range of service areas. Participants were caregivers of children involved in child abuse or neglect investigations (N = 32, 59% Latino, 50% alleged perpetrator) and were recruited as part of a larger study evaluating a multidisciplinary response to allegations in a metropolitan U.S. county. Items were generated based on existing needs assessments and consultation from researchers and caseworkers. The C-SNAB appeared to have adequate coverage of the breadth of services needed (33 items) and barriers faced (19) and had good predictive validity. About 93% of caregivers endorsed at least 1 unmet service need. Caregivers experienced an average of 4 unmet needs and 7 barriers to accessing services. The current study provides an approach to practically and comprehensively assessing service needs, use and barriers within this population.

Highlights

  • Caregivers involved in child abuse investigations are a high-needs population.

  • The C-SNAB is the first broadband measure of caregiver needs and barriers.

  • The newly developed measure appears to be valid.

  • About 93% of caregivers report at least 1 unmet need.

  • Caregivers report an average of 4 unmet needs and 7 barriers to accessing services.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to the Traumatic Stress Studies Group, especially Julie Olomi, Maria-Ernestina Christl, and Naomi Wright; participants; and government partners who made this work possible. A technical report describing the larger project from which these data were drawn was published online by The Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab: DePrince et al. (2019). Working together: The impact and caregiver perceptions of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) response to child abuse and neglect investigations (Report No. 18-05A). Denver, CO: The Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the University of Denver. This work was supported by The Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the University of Denver (Co-PIs: Dmitrieva and DePrince).

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  1. Clinical Child Psychology, University of Denver, 1999 E Evans Ave, Denver, CO, 80210, USA

    Adi Rosenthal, Julia Dimitrieva & Anne DePrince

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  1. Adi Rosenthal
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Correspondence to Adi Rosenthal.

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Appendix

Appendix

Checklist of Service Needs and Barriers (C-SNAB) full measure

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Rosenthal, A., Dimitrieva, J. & DePrince, A. Development of the Checklist of Service Needs and Barriers (C-SNAB) Measure for Caregivers Involved in Child Maltreatment Investigations. J Child Fam Stud 31, 3405–3424 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02462-3

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