On 2 July, the WHO Office for Quality and Patient Safety in Healthcare in Athens, in collaboration with the WHO European Headquarters for Mental Health, will present for consultation new quality standards to improve the quality of child and adolescent mental health care. The standards have been developed in collaboration with the Pan-European Mental Health Coalition and with the support of the Greek Government.
Why quality standards are needed for child and adolescent mental health care
Globally, child and adolescent mental health is a key priority. One in seven adolescents will experience a mental illness and suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15-19 year olds. Evidence shows that over the past 30 years (1990-2019), the burden of mental illness in children and adolescents has increased, including anxiety disorders, depression and eating disorders. Even today, countries struggle to address the mental health needs of children and adolescents.
The inaugural WHO Pan-European Region meeting in May 2022 highlighted improving the quality of care for children, adolescents and young people as a key priority and called for tools to measure and standardize the quality of child and adolescent mental health care across the WHO European Region. In response, the WHO Athens Care Quality Secretariat and the Mental Health Flagship Team have collaborated to develop quality standards for child and adolescent mental health.
The standards are based on the literature and perspectives from young people, parents and carers and service providers, and provide a vision of what quality care for child and adolescent mental health looks like. They help to assess the quality of child and adolescent mental health services and prioritise areas where quality improvement is needed. The overall goal is to provide evidence-based content developed in collaboration with stakeholders and to set ambitious, yet achievable, performance benchmarks that are actionable and can be linked to other WHO resources and tools.
Participate in the review of standards
– Who can review the standards?
We are particularly keen to hear feedback from children, young people, parents/carers and those providing child and adolescent mental health care, however anyone is welcome to review the quality standards and provide feedback.
– How can I check the standards?
The consultation document and a survey to provide feedback can be found here:
Review paper: Quality of care standards for child and adolescent mental health
– How long will it take to review the standards?
The consultation will run for 10 weeks from 2 July to 10 September 2024.
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