Introduction: The national lead poisoning surveillance system is based on the screening by physicians of minors with one or more risk factors for lead exposure. The objective of the study was to examine the specific screening strategy implemented by the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Regional Health Agency (ARS). Method: The study included minors screened between January 2009 and January 2011 in the Nord department, either as part of standard screening strategies or as part of the ARS’s proactive strategies for identifying at-risk addresses (children identified through positive Lead Exposure Risk Assessments (Crep) and through complaints from housing occupants or reports from ARS partners). Results: Of the 976 cases of elevated blood lead levels included, 341 resulted from the specific strategy. The comparison between conventional and specific screening strategies, following the identification of a high-risk dwelling, and the comparison between screening strategies within the specific program did not show a difference in the proportion of cases of lead poisoning exceeding the various thresholds tested (50, 70, 100 μg/L). Discussion: The study did not demonstrate greater effectiveness of proactive identification of high-risk addresses by CREPs or through complaints for detecting cases of lead poisoning. The main benefit of this identification lies in the number of children thus screened who likely would not have been screened otherwise. (R.A.)