The Young Person’s Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (YP-CORE) is a 10 item self-report measure designed for monitoring treatment outcomes in young people aged between 11 and 16 years of age. It was derived from the adult measure Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), and captures a range of presenting problems relevant for mental health services. The copyright holder for the YP-CORE is the CORE System Trust.
The YP-CORE is not diagnostic in nature, but rather measures broad-spectrum symptom severity (e.g. self-harm, coping, unhappiness, psychological distress). The YP-CORE is the youth equivalent version of the CORE-10. All CORE measures are produced by CORE System Trust.
Example YP-CORE Item
The YP-CORE is useful for clinicians working with young people because it provides a standardised method for tracking therapeutic progress and identifying areas of concern across multiple domains of psychological wellbeing. The YP-CORE efficiently captures core aspects of psychological distress including anxiety, depression, trauma symptoms, and physical problems, while also assessing functioning and risk, making it particularly useful for routine monitoring in time-limited clinical settings.
Raw scores are between 0 and 40, where higher scores represent greater severity of mental health symptoms. Item 4 which relates to thoughts of self-harm should be individually inspected for each patient.
The raw score has a corresponding symptom severity level as follows:
In addition to the raw score, two percentiles are presented. The Clinical Percentile compares scores with young people presenting for mental health services. A percentile of 50 would indicate an average level of symptoms for a young person on first presentation to a service. NOTE: Please enter accurate date of birth in client profile as normative data differs by age (11 to 13 year olds mean = 15.8, SD 7.12 while 14 to 16 year olds mean = 20.6, SD = 7.06).
A Non-Clinical Percentile is also presented which compares scores against a group of healthy young people (M=6.1, SD=6.06). Most people presenting for services will likely score above the 90th percentile compared to this normative sample.
On first administration a plot is shown presenting the total raw score with the symptom severity levels in the background of the plot. If administered on multiple occasions, a plot is displayed showing the raw score over time to indicate change as a result of treatment.
The YP-CORE was developed from the long version of the adult scale, the CORE-OM, and validated on a sample of 243 young people presenting to mental health services in the UK (Twigg et al, 2009). They found that younger children scored significantly lower (11 to 13 year olds mean = 15.8, SD 7.12) compared to older children (14 to 16 year olds mean = 20.6, SD = 7.06). Data revealed that the YP-CORE was sensitive change during the course of treatment (18.5 pre therapy and 8.8 after therapy, effect size = 1.3), indicating it is well suited to measure treatment response.
The YP-CORE is part of the CORE family of measures but has been specifically adapted for young people aged 11-16. While the CORE-OM (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation – Outcome Measure) is a comprehensive 34-item measure for adults, and the CORE-10 is a shorter 10-item version for those aged 17 and over, the YP-CORE was developed when it became clear that simply rewording adult measures wasn’t sufficient for younger age groups.
All YP-CORE items map from original CORE-OM items, but they have been substantially reworded to better suit adolescent language and experiences. For example, where adult measures might use more formal or clinical language, the YP-CORE uses terms and phrases that resonate better with young people. The YP-CORE is also a 10-item measure like the CORE-10, making it brief enough to use regularly without being burdensome for young people.
Unlike the adult CORE-OM which provides separate scores for wellbeing, problems, functioning and risk domains, the YP-CORE provides a single total score. This simplification reflects both the developmental considerations of the age group and the need for a streamlined tool that can be quickly completed and interpreted in youth mental health settings. When young people reach 17, services typically transition them to using the adult CORE-10, ensuring continuity of measurement across the lifespan.
All CORE measures are the copyright of the CORE System Trust. More information can be obtained from their website: https://www.coresystemtrust.org.uk/
Routine outcome monitoring using tools like the YP-CORE is particularly valuable for the 11-16 age group as this represents a critical developmental period where mental health difficulties often first emerge. Young people in this age range are navigating significant physical, emotional and social changes, and their mental health needs can fluctuate rapidly. Regular monitoring allows practitioners to track these changes session-by-session rather than relying on clinical impressions alone.
The YP-CORE provides a standardised way to capture young people’s own perspectives on their wellbeing, which is especially important as adolescents may not always verbally communicate their struggles to adults. By completing the measure regularly, young people become active participants in their own care, and services can quickly identify whether interventions are working or if adjustments are needed. This is particularly crucial given that early intervention during adolescence can prevent more serious mental health problems from developing later in life.
Additionally, routine monitoring helps services demonstrate their effectiveness and identify patterns across their young person caseload, supporting quality improvement and ensuring that limited mental health resources are being used effectively to support young people when they need it most.
The YP-CORE is a session-by-session monitoring tool with items covering anxiety, depression, trauma, physical problems, functioning and risk to self. There are a range of questions which aim to understand how a person has been feeling in the past week, providing a snapshot of a young person’s mental health and wellbeing.
Mental health practitioners are increasingly being encouraged to adopt evidence-based practices, and the collection of outcome data has been highlighted as a priority for mental health services. The YP-CORE has been shown to be a valid and reliable measure of clinical change, helping services track progress and guide treatment decisions effectively.
The YP-CORE (Young Person’s Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation) is a 10-item measure designed for use with young people aged 11-16 years (secondary school age). It is a session-by-session monitoring tool with items covering anxiety, depression, trauma, physical problems, functioning and risk to self. More information about the YP-CORE can be found on the YP-CORE page at the CORE System Trust: https://www.coresystemtrust.org.uk/home/instruments/yp-core-information/
The copyright holder for the YP-CORE is the CORE System Trust https://www.coresystemtrust.org.uk/home/instruments/yp-core-information/
Twigg, E., Barkham, M., Bewick, B. M., Mulhern, B., Connell, J., & Cooper, M. (2009). The Young Person’s CORE: Development of a brief outcome measure for young people. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 9(3), 160-168. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/14733140902979722
Twigg, E., Barkham, M., Bewick, B. M., Mulhern, B., Connell, J., & Cooper, M. (2009). The Young Person’s CORE: Development of a brief outcome measure for young people. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 9(3), 160-168. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/14733140902979722
