Adolescents and Children Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Tool (ACRAM)

Abstract

The Adolescents and Children Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Tool (ACRAM), developed by Navarro-Pérez et al. (2023), is an original index/indicator instrument designed specifically for professionals to detect and assess the risk of Child Maltreatment in children and adolescents. Its core function is to facilitate and enhance professional decision-making during critical Risk Assessment processes.

The theoretical foundation of the ACRAM is rooted in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model (1979), integrating findings from a systematic review of tools that identify both risk and Protective Factors. The scale development followed a rigorous process, beginning with 201 initial indicators which were refined during a pre-diagnosis study to 111 indicators across 22 conceptual blocks. The final validated version of the ACRAM consists of 99 indicators organized into 17 conceptual blocks. These indicators are grouped into two overarching sections: “parental and caregiver factors” and “environment-related and protective factors.” The scale was validated using two samples of professionals in Spain. While strong evidence for content validity was established, other key psychometric properties, such as reliability and construct validity, were not reported in the initial documentation.

Keywords

Adolescent Maltreatment, Child Maltreatment, Protective Factors, Risk Assessment, Risk Detection, Risk Factors

Authors

José-Javier Navarro-Pérez, Paula Samper, Patricia Sancho, Sylvia Georgieva, Ángela Carbonell, Maria-Vicenta Mestre

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ACRAM is to serve as a comprehensive index/indicator instrument to assist professionals—such as social workers and educators—in making informed, evidence-based decisions when conducting risk assessments pertaining to potential or actual child and adolescent maltreatment.

By systematically evaluating a broad range of indicators organized according to ecological domains, the tool aims to provide a structured framework for identifying the presence and severity of risk factors, balanced against the presence of protective factors within the child’s environment.

Construct

The ACRAM measures the comprehensive risk profile of abuse and maltreatment in children and adolescents, conceptualized across multiple ecological systems influencing the child’s safety and well-being. The construct is fundamentally defined by the interplay between established risk indicators and mitigating Protective Factors, structured within domains related to parental/caregiver behaviors and broader environment/community influences.

The scale encompasses 99 indicators covering diverse aspects of neglect and abuse (physical, emotional, sexual, educational), as well as complex systemic issues like labor exploitation, instrumentalization, and community factors.

Validity

The primary psychometric evidence reported for the ACRAM is its Content Validity. This was rigorously evaluated using Content Validity Indexes (CVI) based on the “Relevance” variable, involving expert judgment from professional samples in Spain.

During the final stage of development, 91 out of the 111 initial indicators achieved an acceptable CVI range, demonstrating a strong consensus among subject-matter experts regarding the relevance and appropriateness of the majority of items for assessing child maltreatment risk. Only 20 indicators were excluded due to insufficient CVI scores, resulting in the final 99-item instrument.

Reliability

Data regarding the reliability of the Adolescents and Children Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Tool (ACRAM) were not provided in the source documentation. Standard reliability measures, such as internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) or inter-rater reliability, are necessary to establish the consistency and stability of the instrument for future clinical and research applications.

Factor Analysis

Information regarding Factor Analysis, including exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis, was not indicated in the available source content. Therefore, the underlying latent structure or the empirical grouping of the 99 indicators into the proposed 17 conceptual blocks has not been psychometrically confirmed in the provided report.

Instrument

Test Type: Original

Format: Index/Indicator

Language Available: English; Spanish

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older). Note: The respondents are adults (professionals), while the target population of the assessment is children and adolescents.

Population Details:

• Location: Spain

• Respondents: Educators; Social Workers

Test Methodology: The development involved a multi-stage iterative process: a systematic literature search for existing instruments, establishment of an initial set of 201 indicators, a pre-diagnosis refinement phase, and rigorous content validity assessments utilizing professional samples.

Keywords

Adolescent Maltreatment, Child Maltreatment, Protective Factors, Risk Assessment, Risk Detection, Risk Factors

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available

Affiliation Email addresses: Sylvia Georgieva: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: University of Valencia, Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Av de Blasco Ibañez, 21, València, Spain

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author (Sylvia Georgieva).

Fee: No

Commercial Use: No

Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

Navarro-Pérez, J.-J., Samper, P., Sancho, P., Georgieva, S., Carbonell, Á., & Mestre, M.-V. (2023). Development and content validation of a comprehensive tool for assessing risk and protective factors in children and adolescents: The ACRAM. Children and Youth Services Review, 145, 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106761

Items of the Adolescents and Children Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Tool (ACRAM)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The ACRAM consists of 99 indicators, organized into 17 conceptual blocks, which are grouped into two larger sections.

Factors and Subscales

Sections:

1. Parental and Caregivers:

   • Parental variables

   • Neglect of physical needs

   • Neglect of safety needs

   • Neglect of educational needs

   • Neglect of mental needs

   • Physical maltreatment

   • Emotional maltreatment

   • Instrumentalization and abandonment

   • Sexual abuse

   • Prenatal maltreatment/risk

   • Labor exploitation and begging

   • Parental inability to control the child/adolescent’s behavior

2. Environment-Related and Protective Factors:

   • Unaccompanied foreign children and adolescents

   • Community factors (including socioeconomic and family setting, school, techno-political intervention, administrations, health, and institutional maltreatment)

   • Protective factors