NCCD is the nation’s premier developer of actuarial risk assessment for use in adult corrections, juvenile justice, child welfare, adult protective services, and public financial assistance. NCCD’s risk and needs assessments are proven to be effective and provide these fields with a critical tool for maximizing efficient use of resources and the possibility of positive outcomes for children, youth, and families, including adult offenders in prison or living in the community. 

For decades, NCCD has promoted the use of actuarial risk assessment combined with needs assessments to establish clear direction to adult-, youth-, and family-serving agencies to help to serve client populations in meaningful and cost-effective ways. NCCD’s risk and needs assessments assist agencies by providing the following:

• Supervision strategies for justice-involved clients based on their risk and needs levels, combined with research-based approaches for effective supervision;

• Juvenile supervision strategies, guided by evidence-based intervention approaches that incorporate valid and reliable risk and needs assessments;

• Child welfare risk and needs assessments designed to estimate the likelihood of abuse or neglect and help workers create case plans to address specific issues in family dynamics that can help families reduce risk and keep their children safe;

• Valid and reliable estimates of the likelihood of older adults and adults with disabilities to become victims of financial abuse or self-neglect, combined with proven methods to identify ways to reduce risk through services;

• Assessments for use in public financial assistance agencies to help prevent child maltreatment and to promote employability for those seeking to obtain and sustain jobs.

All risk assessments are tested to ensure racial equity. Risk assessments in the adult corrections and juvenile justice fields are tested to ensure gender equity as well. Gender-specific risk assessments are available for juvenile populations.