Objective: This study reports on the development and test of a multidimensional measure of client engagement in child welfare services. Method: Five dimensions of engagement were identified and were based on a literature review and data from interviews with child welfare workers and clients. A pool of items generated to reflect these five dimensions was reviewed by a panel of researchers, scholars, and practitioners. Pilot data from the resulting measure were collected from 287 respondents. Participants were primary caregivers who had an open case with child protective services at the point of data collection. Results: Internal consistency reliability and construct validity were examined, and tests of the fit of the data to the hypothesized measurement model were conducted and reported. Results supported the presence of four underlying factors and a single latent variable. Conclusion: The instrument demonstrated good potential for measuring aspects of client engagement.

The importance of trauma-informed care (TIC) is now recognized across most

Service coordination from the perspective of parents and other caregivers whose children have serious emotional disabilities was examined in this study. Service coordination was assessed with a self-report instrument administered to 266 caregivers. Analyses focused on the relationship of service coordination to child and family characteristics, service system complexity, family participation, overall satisfaction with services, and comprehensiveness of needs met. Although complexity of services was not related to service coordination, the severity of children's problems was inversely related and family participation was positively related to service coordination. In addition, service coordination significantly predicted satisfaction with services and comprehensiveness. The findings illustrate the utility of including the family perspective in the assessment of systems of care.

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