Measuring adverse and protective experiences in early childhood: development and initial validation of the child and family experiences survey (CAFES)

The CAFES is a novel, caregiver-report tool designed to assess both adverse and protective childhood experiences, as well as family needs. Developed through a community-engaged process, CAFES addresses key limitations in existing ACE measures by incorporating protective factors and offering applicability across clinical, educational, and research settings. Future efforts will focus on refining the tool through qualitative feedback, improving data collection processes, and ensuring cross-cultural relevance, for example among underrepresented and immigrant populations, while also integrating appropriate supports to enhance its clinical implementation.