SocialEmotional Screening Tool

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Social-Emotional Screening Tool

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SEST for Children Birth to Five Originally
Developed by California Institute for Mental
Health Made possible through a grant from the
Zellerbach Family Fund Revisions
by Christopher L. Smith, Ph.D. Kansas
University Center on Developmental
DisabilitiesParsons
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What is the SEST (0-5)?

• The SEST (0-5) is a brief screening tool
  designed to identify those children five years
  and younger who most urgently need more thorough
  mental health screening or assessment.

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Who should be screened?

• This tool is offered as a resource that can be
  used to quickly identify those children most in
  need of more intensive screening and assessment.
  It is advisable that local service systems
  develop, implement, and evaluate plans for the
  use of this tool.

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Who can use the SEST?

• The tool was originally designed for use by
  those who do not have expertise in the area of
  early childhood mental health, but have contact
  with children in this age group, particularly
  children in foster care.

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When might it be useful?

• When child service systems are seeking to
  triage, or identify those children most in need
  of immediate mental health assessment, to more
  effectively utilize resources and serve children.
• OR
• When child service systems are committed to
  assessing all children and want to use the SEST-R
  (0-5) as an initial step in the referral and
  assessment process.

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What do Mental Health, Social Services and other
agencies serving infants, toddlers and
preschoolers need to do to implement the SEST
(0-5) in their area?

• Communities will need to work together to develop
  an implementation plan.
• Decisions to make may include
• Agreement regarding the populations to be
  screened
• When and how often the SEST will be administered
• How information will be transmitted by screening
  professionals to the local professionals
• How feedback will be given by the mental health
  provider to the person making the referral
• Who will gather and send information to the state
• Please feel free to incorporate names of your
  community agencies on the form to reflect
  specific information and expertise in your
  community. This will assist the screener to
  correctly identify which agencies will accept the
  referral.

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After an community has decided to use this tool,
what is the process for utilizing the SEST?

• Children who screen negative all answers to
  SEST (0-5) questions are NO after the initial
  screening should be screened again within 60
  days.
• Children who screen as negative at both the
  initial 60 day screening should be screened
  yearly to monitor for changes that may take
  place.
• A child scoring a YES answer to any of the
  questions should be referred for a more thorough
  mental health screening or assessment. The amount
  of time between screening and follow-up will
  depend upon available resources however, the
  referral should be considered to be urgent,
  requiring timely response.

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What can communities do with this information
after collection?

• Please request via email (tsmith-birk_at_srs.ks.gov)
  for the SEST form, (English Spanish versions),
  the data collection form and other information
  needed.
• Email this data collection from to SRS HCP
  Mental Health between the 5th and 10th of each
  month to tsmith-birk_at_srs.ks.gov

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Why is the State collecting this data?

• The State of Kansas would like to gather
  information about the social-emotional mental
  health needs of children ages 0-5 and their
  families to
• Share with legislators policy makers
• Assist with prevention efforts
• Assist with funding efforts
• Expand knowledge of children families needs to
  our communities professionals
• Strengthen the children families in Kansas

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How should screeners respond to the answer
Unknown?

• Each community (or other service area) will have
  to develop its own response to these answers.
• It is highly recommended that each child be
  screened every two weeks until the Unknown
  answers are eliminated.

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How can we get more information about the SEST
(0-5)?

• Contact the SRS HCP Mental Health office at
  785-296-3627, or email at tsmith-birk_at_srs.ks.gov
  
• for more information, forms or other related
  questions.