HOME Inventory

The HOME Inventory (Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment) is a family assessment measure published by the UK Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills. The HOME Inventory was developed in the 1960’s and has been used with large numbers of children in a variety of different contexts. It is a well-established tool for standardised assessment of a child’s home environment.

There are three HOME inventories for children aged 0-3, 3-6 and 6-10 years. Each inventory contains a group of scales to assess different aspects of the child’s environment. Each scale contains a number of items that are scored according to a glossary. The HOME therefore provides a framework for practitioners to assess all aspects of the home environment, including parenting, that directly impact on the child.

A further set of HOME inventories for adolescents, disabled children and children in foster care are available