Putting the Public Health into Mental Health: Screening Children and Adolescents

This panel will present approaches for early identification of children and adolescents at high risk of developing mental health and substance use problems. Principles developed by a federal cross-agency workgroup addressing appropriate screening will be shared. Appropriate screening tools and effective strategies for partnerships and implementation will be discussed. A new publication entitled “Identifying Mental Health and Substance Use Problems of Children and Adolescents: Guide for Child-Serving Organizations” will be presented. The presentation will include perspectives on early identification implementation from a federal project officer from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), one of the authors of the guide, and a youth who has experienced the child welfare system. The SAMHSA project officer will provide information on the need for prevention and early identification and how to form partnerships to address this need. The author will discuss the general process of setting goals for the identification of children and adolescents at high risk, planning and implementing identification activities, and finding and using community assessment and treatment resources for identified children. The youth will discuss his experience with the early identification process. Participants will be provided with a model for early identification, tools they can use, and sample forms for parental consent. Overall, early identification will be discussed in the context of diverse cultures and child-serving settings, including the following settings; primary care, schools and out-of-school programs, early care and education, child welfare, juvenile justice, shelters, and mental health and substance abuse treatment programs.