Effectively screening to identify children with mental health and trauma needs is a cornerstone for promoting well-being in child welfare settings. This presentation offered lessons learned from five early adopter counties in California who implemented an evidence-informed screening process to identify mental health and trauma related concerns in their child welfare system. Presenters described experiences with implementing evidence-informed screening, including issues related to tool selection, staff training and supervision, information sharing, data tracking and monitoring, and quality assurance, as well as how screening information can be leveraged for court reporting, case planning, making informed referrals to services, and for child and family teaming.

Screening and Referral in Child Welfare for Effective Mental Health and Trauma Support

• Brent Crandal, Clinical Psychologist and Grant Investigator, Chadwick Center at Rady Children’s Hospital
• Natalie Bolin, Program Manager, Child Welfare Services, Tulare County Human Services Agency
• Andrea Hazen, Research Scientist, Chadwick Center at Rady Children’s Hospital