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Description
The project aims to support mental health and well-being of children and adolescents in the CZE. This will be achieved through creation and implementation of a system for monitoring and strengthening mental health of children and adolescents, as well as through implementation and rigorous evaluation of the "High Five" mental health literacy and social-emotional learning program in elementary schools. The project benefits from our long-term efforts to strengthen population mental health, which is the main mission of the NIMH.
The main objectives of the project:
a) we will set up a system of mental health monitoring in educational institutions, which will also enable evaluation of relevant preventive programs;
b) we will implement and evaluate the program of social-emotional learning and mental literacy, which was developed and piloted by the National Institute of Mental Health within the already successfully implemented project.
The project builds on:
a) multidisciplinary approach, where an expert platform representing various stakeholders relevant to the field of mental health of children and adolescents in the CZE will be established;
b) evidence-based public policy, when the program developed in accordance with the best available records is implemented and evaluated in the context of the CZE using a multicenter randomized controlled trial;
c) the broad cooperation of stakeholders, including the Czech School Inspectorate, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Psychiatric Society, the Czech Professional Society for Inclusive Education, etc.
The project is in line with the objectives and specific activities of both, to the National Action Plan for Mental Health 2030 and the National Action Plan for Suicide Prevention.
The project will be implemented in partnership with Palacky University in Olomouc and with the support of cooperating organizations that represent key stakeholders in the field.
Summary of project results
Due to the increasing number of psychological difficulties in children, it is important to deal with prevention and monitoring. The project aimed at 2 levels: 1) prevention program; 2) setting up monitoring. Challenges: school workload - inability to implement the program; each school has a Health Education program in a different grade; complicated administrative process to establish regular data collection
Within the framework of KA4 - Creation of materials for schools - manual (methodology for teachers on the V5P programme), diaries for pupils (workbooks), various supplementary materials, educational videos, promo videos; e-learning course for trainers of the programme - 1 training; training of teachers in KV and PLZ region - 6 trainings in total - 62 teachers trained. Collection of questionnaires from pupils and teachers, focus groups - feedback used to revise materials. Creation of materials for parents.
Within KA3 - cooperation with expert platform, research and selection of monitoring tools; translation and adaptation of tools, validation and pilot testing. Analysis of results and preparation of methodological recommendations. Training of Czech school representatives in monitoring methods.
Both activities will contribute to improving the mental health of children and adolescents and their regular monitoring.
The project has contributed to increasing the mental literacy of more than 1,200 pupils in more than 60 schools. Increasing mental literacy is an essential preventive element in the field of the mental health, helps with earlier detection of mental health problems and has a preventive effect on whole class groups. Thanks to the successful pilot monitoring we have been able to bring the topic much more into the media space.
All the project goals were met. A tool for regular monitoring of the mental health was have created . The project has reached a consensus with an expert platform consisting of relevant stakeholders on the set of tools to be used for monitoring mental health in children and adolescents, it has also reached a consensus on the frequency and method of monitoring with the CSI and the project has developed and validated a scale for measuring mental literacy.