In response to the need for high-quality mental health care services for children and adolescents, WHO/Europe, through its Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens and the Mental Health Flagship team, is set to launch the first-ever WHO Quality Standards for Child and Youth Mental Health Care on 27 March 2025.
Mental disorders affect 1 in 5 adolescents in the WHO European Region. Over the past 30 years, the burden of mental disorders among young people has increased significantly, particularly for anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Suicide is the leading cause of death in 15 to 29-year-olds. Despite the urgent need for support, many children and adolescents do not receive the necessary care. Those who do seek help often encounter services that vary in quality and effectiveness, facing challenges such as long waiting times to access care, services that are not child or youth friendly, and insufficiently trained providers.
The WHO Quality Standards for Child and Youth Mental Health Care provide a comprehensive framework for outpatient and community settings, to define high-quality specialized mental health care and improve services. Developed with input from children, young people, caregivers and providers, and consultations across the WHO European Region, these standards include example quality indicators for inspiration and adaptation.
The standards can be tailored to the context of each country, forming part of a broader approach to improving health-care quality. They can be used by health workers or health leaders to self assess and prioritize areas for quality improvement, or by the general public to understand what high-quality care can look like.
Join us on 27 March at 11:00 Eastern European Time to learn more about this resource and hear from experts on how to enhance the quality of mental health care in your country.