CRAFFT Adolescent Screening Information and Permission Boundary
MindCheck Tools does not reproduce, administer, score, or interpret CRAFFT on this public website. This page explains its clinical purpose, confidentiality context, and written-approval requirement without asking a young person about substance use.
Quick answer
- What is this?
- An educational overview of CRAFFT and Boston Children's Hospital's written-approval requirements for reproduction.
- Who is it for?
- Young people, families, educators, or clinicians seeking reliable CRAFFT information and safer next steps.
- Bottom line
- This page does not provide a CRAFFT questionnaire or result. Adult alcohol and general mood screens are not equivalent, and only a qualified professional can evaluate substance-use concerns.
Why the public self-check is unavailable
Boston Children's Hospital states that CRAFFT questions are copyright protected. Its reproduction process requires submission of the intended implementation, exact-version and use details, required notices, and an official approval letter. Later changes require reapproval.
MindCheck Tools has no archived approval letter or approved screenshot for this public website. The former questionnaire, answer capture, scoring, cutoffs, and result language are therefore unavailable while the informational URL remains public.
Review the official CRAFFT reproduction termsClinical and confidentiality context
Knight and colleagues developed CRAFFT as an adolescent-focused clinical screen. Its role is to support a private healthcare conversation and identify whether further assessment may be useful, not to label or diagnose a young person.
The official CRAFFT guidance emphasizes administration in conditions that protect patient privacy and confidentiality and allow a healthcare provider to use responses in counseling. Confidentiality rules vary by location, age, setting, and safety concern; a public website should not promise legal confidentiality.
A pediatric or adolescent-health professional can explain confidentiality before asking sensitive questions and can assess immediate safety, withdrawal risk, medications, mental health, family context, and appropriate support.
Different, non-equivalent options
No linked self-check duplicates CRAFFT's adolescent substance-use purpose. These options address narrower or different concerns and should not be used to estimate a CRAFFT result.
AUDIT-C Alcohol Screen for Adults
An alcohol-only screen intended for adult contexts and maintained under a noncommercial boundary. It is not appropriate as a CRAFFT substitute for adolescents.
PHQ-4 Mood and Anxiety Screen
A separate, publicly permitted symptom screen. It does not assess alcohol or drug use and cannot replace an adolescent substance-use evaluation.
No-input privacy boundary
This informational page has no form and asks for no alcohol or drug history, answers, age, name, or score. It calculates and stores no personal result. Review the privacy policy before using any linked self-check, especially on a family, school, or shared device.
Support for young people and families
In the United States, SAMHSA's National Helpline provides confidential treatment information at 1-800-662-4357. Call or text 988 for immediate crisis support. For overdose, trouble breathing, unconsciousness, severe withdrawal, or immediate danger in the United States, call 911. Outside the United States, use local emergency or crisis services.
Sources
- Center for Adolescent Behavioral Health Research, Boston Children's Hospital. Official CRAFFT versions and reproduction terms.
- Knight, J. R., et al. (1999). A new brief screen for adolescent substance abuse. PubMed PMID 10357299.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. National Helpline.
Reviewed by Jason Ramirez, CADC-II with 11 years of clinical experience in substance use counseling.
Review covers source alignment, scoring, limitations, and safety language within the reviewer's stated credential scope; it is not diagnosis or individual care.
Last reviewed: August 2, 2026
Frequently asked questions
What is CRAFFT?
CRAFFT is a copyrighted adolescent substance-use screening instrument developed for use in healthcare settings. It helps trained professionals identify when a young person may need a fuller conversation or evaluation. It is not a diagnosis.
Can a teen take CRAFFT on MindCheck Tools?
No. Boston Children's Hospital requires a reproduction draft, intended-use description, required notices, and an official approval letter. MindCheck Tools has not archived approval for this implementation, so no questions, answers, scoring, or results are provided.
Why does the official CRAFFT guidance emphasize privacy?
The official site places CRAFFT in a patient-care context and emphasizes conditions that protect adolescent privacy and confidentiality. A public website cannot promise the same legal or clinical confidentiality as a healthcare relationship.
Are AUDIT-C or PHQ-4 replacements for CRAFFT?
No. AUDIT-C is an adult-focused alcohol screen, while PHQ-4 addresses depression and generalized anxiety symptoms. Neither is an adolescent combined substance-use screen, and neither can estimate a CRAFFT result.
Where can a young person or family find help?
A pediatrician, adolescent-medicine clinician, school health professional, or licensed behavioral-health provider can discuss substance use and confidentiality. In the United States, SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 provides treatment information and referrals. Call or text 988 for immediate crisis support.