Pakistani and Caucasian mothers were both highly accurate in the identification of child and adolescent mental health problems. In a community-based vignettes study, Caucasian mothers were more likely to identify all behaviours as problematic. However, Pakistani mothers who did identify behaviours as problematic then rated them as being as (or more) serious than the Caucasian mothers. Despite this, Pakistani mothers were less likely to seek treatment from local child and adolescent mental health services.