Children's Anxiety & Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Parent Version
Anxiety and depression are among the most common mental health difficulties in children and young people, yet they often go unrecognised because the symptoms can look different from what adults expect. The Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) is one of the most widely used tools in NHS CAMHS services for screening anxiety and depression in young people aged 8 to 18. This version uses the shorter RCADS-25, which provides Total Anxiety and Total Depression scores from 25 parent-rated items.
This is the parent/carer version. You rate how often your child experiences each symptom. It takes about five minutes. The full 47-item RCADS, which breaks anxiety down into five specific subtypes (separation anxiety, social phobia, generalised anxiety, panic, and OCD), is available as a free PDF from UCLA. If your child also has difficulties with attention or hyperactivity, the children’s ADHD rating scale (SNAP-IV) may be useful alongside this.
Rate Your Child on the RCADS-25
Children's Anxiety & Depression Scale (RCADS-25)
Parent version · 25 items · Rate your child · 5 minutes
Instructions: For each statement, select how often this happens to your child. There are no right or wrong answers.
Your answers are not stored or transmitted. Everything runs in your browser.
Your Child's RCADS-25 Results
Raw scores for the anxiety and depression subscales. Higher scores indicate more frequent symptoms.
Anxiety
Depression
Supporting Your Child's Wellbeing Day to Day
Anxiety and low mood often show up as difficulty concentrating, forgetting things, and struggling with daily routines. Recallify helps by providing structure, voice-based task capture, and gentle reminders that reduce the cognitive load on the whole family.
What Does the RCADS-25 Measure?
The RCADS-25 is a shortened version of the 47-item RCADS. It measures two broad dimensions: Total Anxiety (15 items covering worry, fear, separation anxiety, and social anxiety) and Total Depression (10 items covering low mood, loss of interest, fatigue, appetite changes, worthlessness, and cognitive difficulties). Each item is rated 0 (never) to 3 (always).
The RCADS-25 parent version was validated in both school-based (N=967) and clinical (N=433) samples and demonstrated robust psychometric properties, with the two-factor structure (anxiety and depression) fitting the data well across both settings.
How Is the RCADS-25 Scored?
Our tool shows raw scores: Anxiety (0 to 45) and Depression (0 to 30). However, the RCADS is properly interpreted using T-scores, which adjust for your child’s gender and school year. T-scores can be calculated using the free UCLA scoring tools. A T-score below 65 is in the normal range. A T-score of 65 to 69 is borderline clinical, meaning your child’s score is roughly in the top 7% of same-age peers. A T-score of 70 or above is the clinical threshold, roughly the top 2%. We show raw scores because T-score conversion requires knowing your child’s specific gender and grade, which we do not collect. We encourage you to use the UCLA tools for proper interpretation.
RCADS-25 vs the Full 47-Item RCADS
The full 47-item RCADS provides six subscale scores: separation anxiety, social phobia, generalised anxiety, panic disorder, OCD, and depression. This gives clinicians a much more detailed picture of which type of anxiety your child is experiencing. The 25-item version collapses all anxiety subtypes into a single Total Anxiety score, which is useful for screening but less useful for treatment planning. If your child scores in an elevated range on the RCADS-25, a clinician may use the full 47-item version for more detail. Both versions are available as free PDFs from UCLA.
How Recallify Supports Families
Anxiety and depression in children often show up as difficulties with concentration, memory, and daily routines, the very areas Recallify is designed to support. Voice capture, automatic task management, and structured reminders help reduce the cognitive load on both children and parents, making daily life more manageable when things feel overwhelming.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does this diagnose my child with anxiety or depression?
No. The RCADS-25 is a screening tool, not a diagnostic instrument. It helps identify children whose symptoms may warrant further assessment. A formal diagnosis requires evaluation by a qualified professional, typically through your GP and a CAMHS referral.
What ages is this for?
The RCADS is validated for children aged 8 to 18. The parent version can also be used for children aged 4 to 7, though psychometric properties are somewhat weaker in younger age groups.
Why does this show raw scores instead of T-scores?
T-score conversion requires knowing your child’s gender and school year (UK year group or US grade). We chose not to collect this information to keep the tool fully private. You can convert your raw scores using the free scoring tools on the UCLA RCADS website.
Is the RCADS-25 as good as the full 47-item version?
For screening purposes, the RCADS-25 is well-validated and widely recommended. However, it provides only two broad scores (Total Anxiety, Total Depression) rather than the six detailed subscale scores of the full version. If you need more detail about which type of anxiety your child is experiencing, the full 47-item version is preferable.
Are my questionnaire answers stored?
No. This tool runs entirely in your browser. No answers or scores are stored, transmitted, or shared.