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Assessment and monitoring of safety in special education schools is imperative to establish and maintain a safe environment in which students can develop academic and social–emotional skills. The present study describes the development of a student self‐report measure, the Safe at School questionnaire. Factorial validity, reliability and concurrent validity was examined in a construction sample of 280 students (68.6% male, age M = 13.29, SD = 2.52) and a validation sample of 1572 students (77.4% male; age M = 14.33, SD = 2.04), representing 233 classes from 20 schools for special education in the Netherlands. Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factor structure of the Safe at School questionnaire. A model with three correlating factors at the within‐ and between‐group level (Rules and Social Norms, Perceived Own Safety and Perceived Safety of Other Students) showed a satisfactory fit to the data. Reliabilities of the scales were good. Also, measurement invariance for gender was demonstrated, indicating no differences in latent means between boys and girls. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In secure residential facilities, group climate perceptions of clients with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning are systematically assessed for quality improvement. A valid and reliable measure may ensure that this process is consistent. The Group Climate Inventory—Revised (GCI‐R) is a new measure to assess group climate perceptions. Method: Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in 148 adult clients (79% male) with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning in a secure facility to examine internal structure validity and internal consistency reliability of the GCI‐R. Results: The results indicate support for the five‐factor structure of the GCI‐R ('Support', 'Growth', 'Repression', 'Peer interactions', and 'Physical environment'). The internal consistency reliability of its scales ranged from acceptable to good (α:.72–.87; ω:.76–.86). Conclusion: The GCI‐R demonstrates evidence of psychometric adequacy when applied to adult clients with mild intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning in secure residential facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions among peers in residential youth care are an important dynamic factor affecting behavioral adjustment and treatment success. Assessment and monitoring of the quality of peer interactions are potentially important for promoting a positive peer culture at the living group, contributing to a positive social climate. However, currently, there are no measures available to assess peer interactions in residential youth care. The present study describes the development, construct validity, and reliability of the Peer Interactions in Residential Youth Care questionnaire (PIRY) in a sample of 345 adolescents (age M = 15.45, SD = 1.59, 44.9% male) in the Netherlands. Confirmatory factor analysis of a two-factor model (peer support and acceptance, and relational aggression) showed a good fit to the data, and internal consistency reliabilities were good for both scales. Partial strict measurement invariance for gender was established, and no significant differences were found between boys and girls on latent factor means. The PIRY can be used in practice to assess and monitor both positive and negative peer interactions in residential youth care at the group level. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]