Recent questions from the CORC inbox
Questions that we receive into the CORC inbox can be a common query for many, and this quarterly feature aims to share our response providing wider knowledge. We also share these each month in the CORC newsletter.
If you have had similar challenges to any of the questions posed and have found a way to overcome them, please do get in touch and let us know.
We welcome any further questions or views around each topic we share. If you have a question, please also get in touch at corc@annafreud.org.
March 2025
Question:
Can I have the necessary permissions to use this [specific] outcome measure?
Answer:
CORC is not the developer or copyright holder of the measures which we host within our Directory of Outcome Measures. The directory provides outcome and experience measures for use with children and young people, which are listed in alphabetical order. Each page contains information about the measure (including the research behind it), how to use and score it, and information from the provider of the measure (for example about the availability of electronic or translated versions).
Please refer to the specific measure you are wishing to use, and it will provide details of who to contact and the permissions each requires. Unless otherwise stated, and in most cases, CORC is not the developer or copyright holder.
Please also note that CORC does not mandate the use of any specific measure(s). The most important consideration in choosing a measure is that it is meaningful to your service, service-users and the work that you do.
We do recommend however that services do not change the words in measures because (in most cases) this has been tried and tested through a research process. If you do wish to make modifications to any measure, we suggest that you contact the copyright holders directly: different measures have different copyright specifications.
Any modifications to standardised measures will mean your data will not be comparable to that collected by other CORC members (which we hold data for). If you wish to submit data from a modified version of a measure, we ask that you get in touch with us beforehand to discuss this.
February 2025
Question:
How can we use outcome measures with children and young people so that it doesn’t feel like an awkward tick box process?
Answer:
We have some guidance on our website here that we'd encourage you to explore.
When engaging with young people in this part of your work, start with the real benefits of using outcomes measures for you and the young person, as well as for the organisation and for learning and research. Explain what measures are and why you use them, and talk through every step in the outcome measure's journey.
When using the questionnaire, give young people the space to talk through their answers, and discuss any decisions you are making in response to what they have shared. Young people tell us that they are more likely to be honest in their responses if they understand why they are completing them and how their responses will be used.
Where possible, offer choice over which measures young people complete and how they fill them in. They can really be a means to open up and start dialogue into areas of their world. Make sure you allow the young person to explain or justify their responses, including if they feel a question doesn’t capture their experiences.
You can find further useful information for explaining to young people and watch videos on our website here. In addition to this blog: Using outcome measures and feedback tools as vehicles for trust.
January 2025
Question:
How can outcome measurement be incorporated meaningfully into play therapy?
Answer:
The starting point for all outcome measurement needs to be the child and the support they’re receiving. Whatever the type of therapy being offered, the age, and stage of development, of the child or young person will inform how best to measure outcomes. Gathering multiple perspectives using child-reported, parent-reported and practitioner-reported outcome measures can offer valuable insight into how a child is doing.
We at CORC encourage service providers to consider how they can improve or enhance children and young people’s engagement with outcome and feedback measures. This includes providing options for how they might be completed. Doing so will allow children and young people with varying needs and abilities to benefit from the use of measures and the resulting information. Options for completing measures include exploring more creative approaches, which is especially true for support based on creativity, such as play therapy.
We have heard of creative methods to using measures including the use of Lego, play-dough and cards, that make measures more accessible and conducive to the style of support (like play!).
CORC guidance is to use standardised measures and that professionals should stick to the wording of the questions on the measure. To support children to engage with the questions however we suggest that professionals prepare to explain key words or phrases and to give space for any questions. This highlights the importance of being prepared, which is an important step in our Six Steps to Using Measures Effectively approach.