<p>The System of Empirically Based Assessment ASEBA the Achenbach allows assessment of the adaptive or maladaptive behavior of children and adolescents. The general objective of the study is to compare the information provided by parents, caregivers and adolescents about the social behavior and cognitive processes of participants in residential care and who live with their families, whose ages are between 11 and 16 years. The sample was 111 preadolescents and adolescents in residential care and 111 who lived with their families (control sample). The Youth Self-Report for Ages (YSR) and the Child Behavior Check-List (CBCL) were used as part of the ASEBA. The results of the study allow us to affirm that the participants in residential care have more social and cognitive problems than those who live with their families. Hence the importance of promoting alternative care in the family environment. The ASEBA is useful for evaluating the behavior of children and adolescents in residential care.</p><p> </p>