ABSTRACT
In this chapter I propose a simple protocol for children’s agencies to safely perform routine mental health screening and monitoring for the children in their charge. I work through this protocol by addressing a series of seven interconnected questions, namely:
Q1. Which children should be only be assessed and monitored by clinicians?
Q2. Who should complete the measures?
Q3. What is doable for children’s agencies?
Q4. When and how often should screening and monitoring be done?
Q5. What situations can bias caregiver’s reports of children’s mental health?
Q6. Which measures should agencies use?
Q7. What are the optimal screening cut-points for the SDQ and BAC?
