Development of an instrument for the psychosocial assessment of child workers

Why do psychosocial factors not get the attention they deserve? In part, it may be the lack of a method able to quantify or to demonstrate psychosocial impacts on a population-wide basis. Many assume they can only be assessed (a) by a professional psychologist and (b) on a one-to-one basis, and are leary of getting into situations in which they do not feel competent and for which they may not have the time or resources to handle. This paper reports on an effort to find a way around this block. It describes the process of developing a tool capable of examining the key dimensions of child workers’ well-being but that is practical for use in settings where child labour commonly occurs.