Abstract
Client satisfaction is regarded as a key indicator for the quality of care delivered to children and adolescents. With the aim to measure this among 9-12 years old children who receive specialized treatment in a group context, the SMILEY 9-12 was developed. The instrument, comprising 24 items designed as visual analogue scales (VAS), enable the mapping of children’s experiences in six domains: information provision, treatment environment, expertise professionals/therapists, relationship with professional/therapist, progress during treatment, and treatment outcomes. Construct validity and reliability of the SMILEY 9-12 were evaluated in a sample of 594 children who received psychosocial treatment in 16 different child and youth care organizations in the Netherlands. Mokken Scale analysis for Polychotomous items (MSP) resulted in a final version with 18 items which can be considered as moderately strong (H=0.43) and reliable (Rho=0.91) scale for measuring client satisfaction of children. This version shows ‘sample independency’ on characteristics like age, gender, treatment phase, type of intervention children received, and setting of data collection (in groups vs. individually). Children who received ambulatory or outpatient treatment or day treatment appear to be (a bit) more satisfied compared to children in residential care. In the conclusion we reflect on the implications our study might have for the field of child and youth care and for future research.
| Translated title of the contribution | Every smile you send will come back two times: Reliability and validity of the SMILEY 9-12, a measuring instrument to assess children’s satisfaction with their treatment in child and youth care |
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| Original language | Dutch |
| Article number | 3 |
| Pages (from-to) | 195-213 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Orthopedagogiek: Onderzoek en Praktijk |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - 15-Sept-2020 |