What strikes a policy maker from the UK coming to the Blueprints conference for the first time is that the US is undoubtably years ahead of the UK in terms of the scientific development of evidence-based programmes.
Given the well-known barriers to implementing evidence-based programs, is it better to identify their discrete elements and trust practitioners to combine them in tailored packages depending on the needs of the child and family in question?
Tests in Australia on the effectiveness of the Family Risk Factor Checklist screening questionnaire have highlighted the difficulties parents and teachers alike face when they attempt to predict which children are most prone to mental health problems.