Table 1.

Inclusion criteria by referral source in the START trial of multisystemic therapy

Referral source	Inclusion criteria specific to the source a
Children’s services	• Designated as ‘child in need’ where this is associated with antisocial behaviour on the part of the adolescent
	• Exhibiting extremely challenging behaviour by either persistent (weekly) and enduring (6 months or longer) violent and aggressive interpersonal behaviour and/or a significant risk of harm to self or to others (for example, self-harming, substance misuse, sexual exploitation, absconding)
Youth offending teams	• At least one conviction within the past 12 months, or referral via a supervision order with multisystemic therapy as a specified activity
	• A warning, reprimand and/or conviction on at least three occasions in the past 18 months
Child and adolescent mental health services	• Current diagnosis of conduct disorder, substance misuse, major depression or anxiety
	• History of at least one unsuccessful outpatient intervention
	• Either history of school exclusion or assessment as ‘child in need’
Educational services	• Currently permanently excluded from school
	• History of having been excluded from at least one other school for aggressive conduct

^aAll participants must also meet the general inclusion criteria described in the text.