Child Need Rating Scales and Matching Criteria
Rating Scales: The following rating scales are used to help match the specific needs of each child with a family of matching strengths. Adoption workers designate a child’s need level for each of the categories below when they submit a new child referral. Families designate their ability to provide levels of care through the Caregiver Assessment process.
Intellectual and Developmental
This scale rates the degree of care a family would need to be able to provide for this child’s intellectual and developmental needs.
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| An average family could provide what this child needs intellectually and developmentally with either no additional training or minimal training. | The degree of support a family would need to provide is between a “1” and a “3”. | A family should be able to manage changes to their daily life to accommodate this child’s intellectual and developmental needs. They may need to coordinate frequent specialized services or appointments and/or do a moderate amount of training or research to properly support this child. | The degree of support a family would need to provide is between a “3” and a “5”. | A family would need specialized skills or be willing to learn them. A family should be able to provide on-going, perhaps lifetime support needed in this area. |
Physical and Medical
This scale rates the degree of care a family would need to be able to provide for this child’s physical and medical needs.
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| An average family could provide what this child needs physically and medically with either no extra training or minimal training. | The degree of support a family would need to provide is between a “1” and a “3”. | A family should be able to manage changes to their daily life to accommodate this child’s physical and medical needs. They may need to coordinate specialized services or appointments on a frequent basis and/or do a moderate amount of training or research to properly support this child | The degree of support a family would need to provide is between a “3” and a “5”. The degree of support a family would need to provide is between a “3” and a “5”. | A family would need specialized skills or be willing to learn them. A family should be able to provide on-going, perhaps lifetime support needed in this area. A family will need to provide for serious physical and medical needs that require constant attention. A family must be prepared to offer lifetime support, potentially in their home, for physical and medical needs that will never be fully resolved. |
Emotional and Social Needs
This scale rates the degree of care a family would need to be able to provide for this child’s emotional and social needs.
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| An average family would be able to provide what this child needs emotionally. An adult would need average parenting and self-regulation skills to successfully parent this child. average family could provide what this child needs physically and medically with either no extra training or minimal training. | The degree of support a family would need to provide is between a “1” and a “3”. | A family should be able to invest additional time and energy in learning parenting strategies and skills. They should be able to make substantial changes to their daily life to meet this child's emotional needs, including a higher-than-average level of supervision. They should have community supports and be able to manage frequent therapeutic appointments. | The degree of support a family would need to provide is between a “4” and a “5”. | A family will need to provide therapeutic levels of care. They should be prepared to handle extreme emotions or behavior. A family will need to provide near-constant supervision and guidance. |
Preferred Activity Level
The best fit for this child is a family who is:
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| A very inactive family that prefers unstructured time at home and little physical activity. | A family whose activity level falls between a “1” and a “3.” | An average family with some physical activity, some unstructured time at home, and some community involvement. | A family whose activity level falls between a “4” and a “5.” | A very active family that is constantly on the move, exploring new things, or engaging in structured sports or athletics. |
Preferred Social Activity Level
The best fit for this child is a family who is:
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| A very quiet family with a serene home environment. Social activities are usually small, with a few trusted people. | A family whose activity level falls between a “1” and a “3.” | An average family with a mix of social activities and a variety of environments. | A family whose activity level falls between a “4” and a “5.” | A very loud and boisterous family environment with constant social activities and large group gatherings. |