Preventive risk assessment in forensic child and youth care

Risk assessment is central to the work of forensic mental health professionals, since it serves as a guide for prevention and intervention strategies. For effective risk assessment, knowledge on risk factors and their effects as well as the availability of valid and reliable instruments for risk assessment are essential. However, systematic overviews of risk factors along with an indication of their effects are often lacking in scientific literature. In addition, valid and reliable risk assessment instruments tailored to individual agencies of the forensic child and youth care system are scarcely available.
The aim of this dissertation is therefore twofold: (1) to increase the body of knowledge on risk factors and their effects leading to care needs of specific groups of juveniles in a forensic context - and (2) to improve risk assessment procedures of the forensic child and youth care system by developing and validating two instruments for risk assessment. Although different interesting topics can be explored within this framework, this dissertation focuses on risk factors for persistent delinquent behavior of juveniles (Chapter 2), risk assessment of first-time offending (Chapter 3), risk factors for sexual victimization of children (Chapter 4), and risk assessment of a problematic child-rearing environment (Chapter 5).