This paper describes the development and empirical examination of a brief questionnaire for assessing empowerment in families whose children have emotional disabilities. The questionnaire is based on a two-dimensional conceptual framework of empowerment derived from the literature. One dimension reflects empowerment with respect to the family, service system, and larger community and political environment; the other dimension reflects the expression of empowerment as attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors. The paper outlines the questionnaire's conceptual basis, describes its development, and presents analyses of reliability and validity based on 440 responses of family members. Applications of the instrument in both research and service delivery are discussed.Family empowerment is increasingly seen as a central goal of efforts to improve services for families whose children have disabilities. The emergence of this concept reflects recent developments in the consumer, practice, and research communities. Among these developments are the growth of the consumer movement with its emphasis on self-help and self-reliance (Moxley, Raider, & Cohen, 1989), the widespread application of practice models that focus on family strengths rather than deficits (

This paper describes the development and empirical examination of a brief questionnaire for assessing empowerment in families whose children have emotional disabilities. The questionnaire is based on a two-dimensional conceptual framework of empowerment derived from the literature. One dimension reflects empowerment with respect to the family, service system, and larger community and political environment; the other dimension reflects the expression of empowerment as attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors. The paper outlines the questionnaire's conceptual basis, describes its development, and presents analyses of reliability and validity based on 440 responses of family members. Applications of the instrument in both research and service delivery are discussed. Family empowerment is increasingly seen as a central goal of efforts to improve services for families whose children have disabilities. The emergence of this concept reflects recent developments in the consumer, practice, and research communities. Among these developments are the growth of the consumer movement with its emphasis on self-help and self-reliance (Moxley, Raider, & Cohen, 1989), the widespread application ofpractice models that focus on family strengths rather than deficits (

The authors describe the development of the Youth Satisfaction Questionnaire (YSQ), a brief self- report measure for children and youth nine years of age and older designed to assess general satisfaction as well as satisfaction with a specific service and activity in which a child is involved. Few previous efforts have been undertaken to assess children's satisfaction. Data from 165 children suggest that the YSQ is a reliable and practical method for assessing children's satisfaction with services.

A survey of 455 caregivers of children with severe emotional disorders identified four empirically distinct dimensions of collaboration between mental health professionals and the children's family members. Characteristics of families, professionals, and the service delivery process associated with the dimensions are examined, as is the relationship between collaboration and family satisfaction.

The author examines collaboration between families of patients with severe mental illness and inpatient social workers as measured by a study that assessed the degree to which families and practitioners collaborate, factors that influence collaboration, and the effects of collaboration on clinical outcome. Social workers and family members were surveyed at the time of the patient's discharge from the inpatient unit. Findings revealed a relatively high degree of collaboration. The strongest predictor of collaboration was the practitioner's attitude toward family involvement in the patient's treatment. In addition, higher levels of collaboration were significantly correlated with increased family involvement in discharge planning and satisfaction with social work services.

A survey of inpatient psychiatric social workers and a review of inpatient charts indicate that while social workers believe the inclusion of the patients' children in their practice is important, their documentation rarely reflects such activity. The authors review relevant literature on the effect of parental psychiatric illness on children, discuss the apparent schism between theory and practice, and consider the clinical and policy implications of these findings.

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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.