Family Support Scale
What It Measures
The Family Support Scale asks a different question from most family measures: not who is around, but who actually helps. A parent rates 18 potential sources of support for how helpful each has been in raising their child.
Sources span the whole network — a partner, one's own parents, a partner's parents, other relatives, friends, coworkers, church or other social groups, parent groups, the child's day care or school, and professionals such as doctors, therapists, and early intervention staff. Each is rated from not at all helpful to extremely helpful, with a not-available option, and two open lines let parents name sources the list misses. The result shows a team which parts of a family's network are working and where the gaps sit.
Further Reading
Additional Notes
Licensing Notes: Developed by Carl J. Dunst, Vicki Jenkins, and Carol M. Trivette (1984), published by Winterberry Press. The scale circulates freely in program materials, clinical trial protocols, and published resources.