Introducing the START:AV in Secure Youth Care: Illustration of a Structured Risk Assessment Implementation Process

Abstract

Structured risk assessment is a widely accepted and recommended approach to establishing an individual’s level of risk for future adverse outcomes, such as violence or victimization, and to guide professionals in effectively managing that risk. A precondition for achieving these outcomes is that the risk assessment procedures are properly implemented and carried out as intended. Although research into the implementation of risk assessment instruments is slowly increasing, most publications do not provide detailed information on the steps that were taken during the implementation process. To help bridge the gap between research and practice, this paper describes step by step the implementation process of the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability: Adolescent Version in a Dutch secure youth care service. The process was guided by the eight steps suggested in the guidebook for the implementation of risk assessment in juvenile justice by Vincent, Guy, and Grisso. Without pretending to offer the best or most ideal approach, this illustration of a risk assessment implementation process may serve as inspiration for other agencies and service providers who wish to integrate structured risk assessment into their practice.