As a parent, it's natural to be constantly worried about your children. It means you understand the responsibility of raising a little human in this world and being the one to answer most of their questions and teach them how to treat others and themselves respect.
But there are also so many factors that you cannot control in your child's life, and while you are doing everything you can to protect them and raise them in a loving home, they will go through tough times, and they may experience things that have a lasting effect on them.
If you are worried about your child's mental health, there are now so many resources for children that psychologists and therapists didn't always have in years past. You can start with this Child Mental Health Checklist by Beyond Blue to look for any signs of mental health struggles your child may be experiencing.
Just know that if you do see some of these symptoms in your child's behavior, it does not mean you are a bad parent or that you have failed. In fact, you are doing a wonderful job by checking in and looking into the resources that could help while your child is still young, growing and learning.
This checklist aims to measure a broad range of social, emotional or behavioural difficulties your child may be experiencing.
It's suitable for kids aged four to 16. If your child is older than 16, they can take our quiz themselves over at Youth Beyond Blue or you could work through it together.
How it works
These questions relate to how your child has been thinking, feeling and behaving in general. Tick the box next to each question that best describes your child.
Your responses will help us provide you with a score. The higher your score, the more likely your child is experiencing a problem that would benefit from professional support.
Your answers and results are completely confidential and we don’t store any of your information.
READ MORE: Child Mental Health Checklist