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Description
The project aims at improving the mental health of children and youth ( 11-19 years) in the city of Brno by means of creating a program that includes early detection, early support, and afterward care following a hospitalization. The transfer of knowledge from the Norwegian partner will lead to an improved ability of detection of the developing mental health difficulties in schools and earlier connection of the children and youth with the social-medical Early Support Team. The team will provide early support grounded in the approach of Open Dialogue (OD) in schools and a selected inpatient facility. The early detection in schools will take place by means of a collaborating network of educational professionals and a targeted support offer in the form of a comic booklet. The team will actively cooperate with the children/youth department of the Psychiatric Clinic. By means of network meetings, the team will connect to admitted children and youth at the inpatient ward and their relatives in order to support the recovery process after being released from the ward. Thanks to the training and consultations with the Norwegian partner, the competencies of the Early Support Team members in Open Dialogue (OD) will be strengthened. OD puts emphasis on the flexible and intensive support for both the person in crisis and her close ones. It aims at strengthening natural sources of mutual support that are present in families and broader communities. The team will cooperate with other medical and social services and educational organizations while using the obtained skills in network meetings and OD to directly support children and youth. By means of the program, the mental health of children and youth will be strengthened which will allow them a higher quality of life, maintain important social contacts, finish education, and/or find a meaningful role in society. Therefore the program will contribute to lowering the risk of chronification of mental health difficulties.