Routine Outcome Measures for Children and Young People
Outcome measures are questionnaires and rating scales used to better understand a child’s or young person’s emotional wellbeing, symptoms and progress throughout therapy. Used thoughtfully, Outcome measures are questionnaires and rating scales used to better understand a child’s or young person’s emotional wellbeing, symptoms and progress throughout therapy. Used thoughtfully, they can support assessment, monitor change over time and encourage meaningful conversations with children, young people and their families.
Many of the questionnaires on this page are referred to as Routine Outcome Measures (ROMs) because they are used regularly throughout treatment. Some are also known as Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), meaning they are completed by the child, young person or their parent/carer.
Research suggests that using outcome measures as part of routine clinical practice can improve therapeutic outcomes, reduce dropout rates and strengthen collaborative decision-making when used appropriately (Bickman et al., 2011; Lambert et al., 2005). UK guidance, including the former CYP IAPT programme, also recognised the value of incorporating routine outcome monitoring into everyday practice.es not host these scales and cannot be held accountable for the accuracy or availability of the linked resources.
Good Practice
Outcome measures should always complement—not replace—clinical judgement. Good practice includes:
- Using questionnaires in their original format, as altering wording or response options may affect their reliability and validity.
- Understanding the purpose, strengths and limitations of each measure.
- Explaining questionnaires in a way that children, young people and families can easily understand.
- Offering flexibility where appropriate, such as completing questionnaires digitally, on paper, independently or together.
- Administering, scoring and interpreting measures carefully and sensitively.
- Using feedback to support collaborative discussions and guide clinical decision-making.
Important Information
The resources linked on this page are provided to support qualified mental health professionals in their clinical practice.
CBT Hub does not host these questionnaires or outcome measures and cannot guarantee the ongoing accuracy, availability or licensing status of external resources. Please ensure you comply with the relevant copyright, licensing requirements and guidance provided by the original publishers before using any measure.
Frequently Used Outcome Measures with Young People
Assessment & Screening Measures
| Tool | Description | Age range |
| Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (and Subscales) – RCADS https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-experience-measures/revised-childrens-anxiety-and-depression-scale-rcads/ | Self-report questionnaire that assesses symptoms of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents. It includes subscales addressing GAD-type symptoms, separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, panic disorder, OCD, and depression. | 8-18 |
| Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire – SDQ https://sdqinfo.org | Questionnaire designed to measure different aspects of mental health including problems with emotions, behaviour, relationships, hyperactivity, and concentration. | 3-16 |
| Goal-Based Outcomes (GBOs) https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-experience-measures/goal-based-outcomes/ | Collaborative outcome measure that allows children and young people to identify personal therapy goals and rate progress towards achieving them over time. It is commonly used to monitor meaningful change throughout treatment. | All ages |
Depression Questionnaires
| Tool | Description | Age range |
| PHQ-A – Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents | A self-report questionnaire used to assess symptoms of depression in adolescents. It is commonly used to identify the severity of depressive symptoms and monitor change over time. | 11-17 |
| Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-measures-guidance/directory-of-outcome-measures/mood-and-feelings-questionnaire-mfq/ Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) https://aims.uw.edu/resource/short-mood-and-feelings-questionnaire-smfq/https://aims.uw.edu/resource/short-mood-and-feelings-questionnaire-smfq/ | A self-report questionnaire that measures depressive symptoms in children and young people. It is commonly used to assess symptom severity and monitor change throughout treatment. A brief version of the MFQ used to screen for depressive symptoms and monitor progress over time. | 6-19 6-17 |
| RCADS Depression Subscale – Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-measures-guidance/directory-of-outcome-measures/revised-childrens-anxiety-and-depression-scale-rcads/ | A self-report questionnaire that measures symptoms of depression in children and young people. The depression subscale can be used independently to screen for depressive symptoms and monitor changes over time during treatment. | 8-18 |
Generalised Anxiety Questionnaires
| Tool | Description | Age range |
| Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) | A 7-item self-report questionnaire used to assess symptoms of generalised anxiety. It is commonly used to screen for anxiety severity and monitor changes over time. | 12+ |
| Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) https://www.scaswebsite.com/ | Self-report questionnaire that assesses symptoms across several anxiety disorders, including generalised anxiety, panic, separation anxiety and social anxiety. It is commonly used to identify anxiety difficulties and monitor treatment outcomes. | 8-15 |
| RCADS Anxiety Subscale – Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-measures-guidance/directory-of-outcome-measures/revised-childrens-anxiety-and-depression-scale-rcads/ | A 10-item self-report questionnaire that measures the severity of generalised anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents. It is designed to assess symptom severity and monitor progress throughout treatment. | 8-18 |
Social Anxiety Questionnaires
| Tool | Description | Age range |
| LSAS-CA – Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents https://nationalsocialanxietycenter.com/self-scoring-questionnaire-children/ | A self-report questionnaire that measures the severity of social anxiety across a range of social and performance situations. It assesses both fear and avoidance and can be used to monitor changes over time. | 7-17 |
| Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) https://psychology-tools.com/test/spin | Self-report questionnaire that assesses the severity of social anxiety symptoms, including fear, avoidance and physiological discomfort in social situations. It is commonly used to screen for social anxiety disorder and monitor treatment outcomes. | 14+ |
| RCADS Social Phobia Subscale – Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-measures-guidance/directory-of-outcome-measures/revised-childrens-anxiety-and-depression-scale-rcads/ | A self-report questionnaire that measures symptoms of social anxiety in children and young people. The social phobia subscale can be used independently to screen for symptoms and monitor changes during treatment. | 8-18 |
OCD Questionnaires
| Tool | Description | Age range |
| ChOCI-R-S – Children’s Obsessional Compulsive Inventory-Revised (Self-Report) https://novopsych.com/assessments/diagnosis/obsessional-compulsive-inventory-ocd-child-self-report/ | A self-report questionnaire that measures the severity of social anxiety across a range of social and performance situations. It assesses both fear and avoidance and can be used to monitor changes over time. | 7-17 |
| Children’s Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) https://kids.psychiatry.wisc.edu/documents/childrens-yale-brown-oc-scale-cy-bocs-self-report-symptom-checklist/https://kids.psychiatry.wisc.edu/documents/childrens-yale-brown-oc-scale-cy-bocs-self-report-symptom-checklist/ | Clinician-administered assessment that measures the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in children and adolescents. It is considered the gold-standard outcome measure for assessing OCD severity and monitoring treatment response. | 6-17 |
| RCADS Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Subscale – Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-measures-guidance/directory-of-outcome-measures/revised-childrens-anxiety-and-depression-scale-rcads/ | A self-report questionnaire that measures symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children and young people. The OCD subscale can be used independently to screen for symptoms and monitor changes during treatment. | 8-18 |
Panic & Agoraphobia Questionnaires
| Tool | Description | Age range |
| PDSS-A – Panic Disorder Severity Scale for Adolescents https://novopsych.com/assessments/anxiety/panic-disorder-severity-scale-pdss/ | A self-report questionnaire that measures the severity of panic disorder symptoms in adolescents. It assesses panic attack frequency, anticipatory anxiety, avoidance, functional impairment and overall symptom severity, and can be used to monitor changes over time. | 11-17 |
| PDSS-C – Panic Disorder Severity Scale for Children | A 7-item self-report questionnaire that measures the severity of panic disorder symptoms in children and adolescents. It assesses panic attack frequency, anticipatory anxiety, agoraphobic avoidance, functional impairment and related symptoms to monitor treatment progress. | 11-17 |
| RCADS Panic Disorder Subscale – Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-measures-guidance/directory-of-outcome-measures/revised-childrens-anxiety-and-depression-scale-rcads/ | A self-report questionnaire that measures symptoms of panic disorder in children and young people. The panic disorder subscale can be used independently to screen for symptoms and monitor changes during treatment. | 8-18 |
Trauma & PTSD Questionnaires
| Tool | Description | Age range |
| Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) https://novopsych.com/assessments/anxiety/panic-disorder-severity-scale-pdss/ | Self-report and caregiver-report questionnaire that assesses exposure to traumatic events, PTSD symptoms and psychosocial functioning in children and young people. The measure includes versions for children and adolescents, as well as caregiver versions, and is commonly used to screen for PTSD symptoms and monitor treatment outcomes. | 7-17 |
| Child Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-8 & CRIES-13) https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-measures-guidance/directory-of-outcome-measures/child-revised-impact-of-events-scale-cries/ | Brief self-report questionnaire that screens for post-traumatic stress symptoms following a traumatic event. The CRIES-8 assesses intrusion and avoidance symptoms, while the CRIES-13 also measures arousal symptoms, making it suitable for both initial assessment and monitoring PTSD symptom severity over time. | 8-18 |
| Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS) | Self-report questionnaire that assesses the frequency and severity of PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents. It is commonly used to support diagnosis and monitor treatment outcomes. | 8-18 |
Session by Session Scales
| Goal or global tracking | ||
| Tool | Description | Age range |
| Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-measures-guidance/directory-of-outcome-measures/outcome-rating-scale-ors-child-outcome-rating-scale-cors/ Child Outcome Rating Scale (CORS) https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-measures-guidance/directory-of-outcome-measures/outcome-rating-scale-ors-child-outcome-rating-scale-cors/ | Measures used to monitor CYP and their families’ or carers designed to assess areas of life functioning known to have change as a result of therapeutic intervention. | 13 6-12 |
| Feedback tracking | ||
| Tool | Description and use | Age range |
| Session Rating Scale (SRS) Child Session Rating Scale (CSRS) Group Session Rating Scale (GDRC) Child Group Session Rating Scale (CGSRS) https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-measures-guidance/directory-of-outcome-measures/session-rating-scale-srs/ | Scales designed to evaluate key aspects of effective therapeutic relationships. | 13-18+ 6-12 13-18+ 6–12 |
References and Further Reading
Campbell, A., & Hemsley, S. (2009). Outcome Rating Scale and Session Rating Scale in psychological practice: Clinical utility of ultra-brief measures. Clinical Psychologist, 13(1), 1–9.
Silverman, W. K., & Albano, A. M. (1996). The Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children (ADIS-IV): Child and Parent Interview Schedules. Psychological Corporation.
Chorpita, B. F., Yim, L. M., Moffitt, C. E., Umemoto, L. A., & Francis, S. E. (2000). Assessment of symptoms of DSM-IV anxiety and depression in children: A Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38, 835–855.
Chorpita, B. F., Moffitt, C., & Gray, J. (2005). Psychometric properties of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale in a clinical sample. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 43, 309–322.
Duncan, B. L., Miller, S. D., Sparks, J., Claud, D., Reynolds, L., Brown, J., & Johnson, L. (2003). The Session Rating Scale: Preliminary psychometric properties of a “working” alliance measure. Journal of Brief Therapy, 3(1), 3–12.
Jacob, J., & Edbrooke-Childs, J. (2022). Monitoring and measurement in child and adolescent mental health: It’s about more than just symptoms. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 823531.
Law, D., & Wolpert, M. (2014). Guide to Using Outcomes and Feedback Tools with Children, Young People and Families. CAMHS Press.
Mash, E. J., & Hunsley, J. (2007). Assessment of child and family disturbance: A developmental-systems approach. In E. J. Mash & R. A. Barkley (Eds.), Assessment of Childhood Disorders (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
Piqueras, J. A., Martín-Vivar, M., Sandín, B., San Luis, C., & Pineda, D. (2017). The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale: A systematic review and reliability generalization meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 218, 153–169.