Clinical research has documented a variety of problems that abused and neglected children present as a result of their maltreatment. When these children enter protective custody, however, they rarely receive systematic screening or assessment of their current mental health. The Screening and Evaluation Project (SEP) profiled in this article is a clinical research study that examined the range of problems in 167 children who entered protective custody from June 1, 1990 to March 30, 1992. Because of the wide developmental age span covered and the number of domains to be evaluated in the screening, a variety of assessment methods and measures were used in SEP. The battery included standardized instruments to tap several domains of child functioning: developmental/cognitive, academic, behavioral, adaptive skills, affective, and self-competence. Concurrently, information was collected from the child and from individuals who had significant contact with the child. Results show that a substantial number of the children had problems in one or more domains. Sixty-eight percent of the sample were identified as at risk on one or more of the four standardized assessment instruments. Findings thus support the importance of early screening and evaluation programs for abused and neglected children in protective custody. Practical issues in implementing such programs are discussed. 3 tables and 39 references