Measuring staff support in services for people with intellectual disability: the Staff Support and Satisfaction Questionnaire, Version 2.

Hastings et al. (2002) built a short survey called the 3SQ. It asks staff how much support they feel at work.

They checked if the survey gives the same answers when people take it twice. They also checked if all the questions hang together.

The 3SQ scores stayed steady when staff took it again later. Most parts of the survey held together well.

Only the ‘Supportive People’ subscale wobbled. That part needs a closer look before you trust the numbers.

Gerber et al. (2011) tested the Maslach Burnout Inventory on the same group. They also found one subscale that wobbled—Depersonalization. Both papers warn BCBAs to watch single weak parts, not toss the whole tool.

Hubel et al. (2008) built a five-minute questionnaire version of the ERS for autism homes. Like the 3SQ, it gave strong internal consistency. Both show that quick staff surveys can replace long interviews.

Lerman et al. (1995) did the same kind of check on the SKIS interview. All three papers—3SQ, ERS-Q, SKIS—follow the same recipe: write clear items, test twice, report alpha. This gives you a small family of proven ID tools.

You now have a one-page tool to spot low staff support before burnout starts. Give the 3SQ during yearly reviews. If the total score drops, add supervision or peer mentoring. Ignore the ‘Supportive People’ numbers unless they line up with other signs. This quick step can keep your best direct-care staff from walking.