Mazi umntanakho – Know Your Child
Mazi umntanakho – Know your child is a simple, digital tool that helps health workers and social workers in South Africa screen a child’s mental and physical wellbeing.
By using short, guided assessments, it gives evaluators a quick picture of how a child is doing and where extra support may be needed.
Who is it for?
Health workers
Social workers
Professionals supporting children and families
The tool is designed to be used in everyday practice – in clinics, home visits, schools, and community settings.
How it works
Mazi umntanakho uses two types of assessments:
SDQ (with caregiver) – Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
IDELA (with child) – Social-emotional questions
Each assessment is quick to complete and provides clear, easy-to-understand feedback.
SDQ Assessment (with caregiver)
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is completed together with the child’s caregiver.
Based on the caregiver’s responses, the tool generates a traffic light score to show if the child may be experiencing:
Emotional challenges
Behaviour challenges
Hyper-activity
Peer relationship challenges
The traffic light system (green, amber, red) helps evaluators see at a glance where there may be concerns and where further support could help.
After completing the SDQ, users can request extra support and resources on topics such as:
Self-awareness
Managing emotions
Social skills and friendships
Behaviour support
These resources can be shared with caregivers or used in follow-up sessions.
IDELA Questions (with child)
The IDELA-based social-emotional questions are asked directly to the child in a friendly, age-appropriate way.
These questions help the evaluator understand if the child may be struggling with:
Self-awareness
Emotional awareness
How they interact with friends
Showing empathy
Solving conflict
The results give a quick indication of the child’s social-emotional development and highlight areas where the child may need encouragement, guidance, or further support.
