Child Protective Services (CPS) case managers will begin screening children at risk for mental health or addiction problems on Jan. 1 under the expansion of a pilot process already underway in nine Indiana counties.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) announced today that CPS case managers in all 92 counties have been trained to recognize behavioral health and addiction risk factors in youth and are partnering with local mental health agencies to coordinate assessment and treatment services.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 75 to 80 percent of children who need mental health services do not receive them and more than 80 percent of children in foster care have developmental, emotional or behavioral problems. Mental health services are repeatedly identified as their primary health need.

"This early screening, assessment and treatment initiative supports our goal of protecting the welfare of all Indiana children and facilitating positive social outcomes for them and their families," said Jane Bisbee, Deputy Director of FSSA's Division of Family and Children, Bureau of Family Protection and Preservation.

The behavioral health screenings were designed by family advocates and service providers specifically for CPS children who are either in foster care or identified as Children in Need of Services (CHINS). FSSA child welfare case managers will conduct initial behavioral health screenings and, as needed, refer children to mental health professionals for further assessment and treatment.

FSSA's pilot screenings--funded by a grant from the Indiana Juvenile Justice Institute--were launched last July through the Offices of Family and Children in Allen, Bartholomew, Clay, Fountain, Lake, Marion (one zip code only) and Owen counties. In August, Hendricks and Madison counties were added.

The program will be monitored by CPS and evaluated and analyzed by Indiana University's Department of Sociology.

For more information, visit Indiana Family and Social Services Administration online at www.IN.gov/fssa.

To report child abuse or neglect, call 800-800-5556, toll-free, statewide, 24 hours a day.