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This study describes the design and psychometric characteristics of the Shortform Assessment for Children (SAC). The SAC is an efficient and easy-to-use tool for monitoring the overall mental health and psychosocial functioning of children age 5 to 18 who are served by child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The one-page 48-item instrument was developed with the support of the National Institute of Mental Health to describe internalizing (withdrawn, anxious, depressed) and externalizing (aggressive, antisocial, violent) profiles of children in both home/residential and school/classroom settings. Psychometric data supporting the reliability and validity of the SAC are presented for a sample of 3,790 children served by one state’s child welfare and juvenile justice system.

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