A new project, funded by the EU Public Health program and entitled “Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Enlarged EU – Development of Effective Policies and Practices” (CAMHEE) has started in January 2007.
Against the background of the [Declaration and Action Plan endorsed at the WHO European Ministerial Conference on
Mental Health->art2191] (January 2005, Helsinki, Finland), the project aims to provide a set of recommendations and guidelines for effective child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) policies and practices in the European Union (EU), with a special emphasis on new EU Member States and accession countries.
The CAMHEE project involves 35 associate partners from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and United
Kingdom.
Mental Health Europe (MHE) is involved in this project and will mainly be responsible for
dissemination of project related information.
A website of the project will be soon available.
Four objectives
1. To create a network of partners within the EU, which will adopt and implement modern and effective public health approaches in the new EU Member States and accession countries;
2. To develop guidelines and recommendations in the field of CAMH for the national and regional policies of the participating countries, based on evidence obtained through an independent analysis of the countries’ situation, including an analysis of the context, resources,processes and outcomes;
3. To initiate and support activities in new Member States and accession countries in the field of CAMH, with a special focus on the implementation of effective and evidence-based policies and practices based on the involvement and participations of children, families and communities;
4. On the basis of the information, shared experience of the network and knowledge received through joint activities of all the project partners, to advise the European Union and the Member States on mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention among children and adolescents, with a special focus on the management of the changes needed in the new Member States to move from inherited patterns of institutionalisation and medicalisation to modern public health approaches based on the involvement of children, youth, parents and communities.
For more information, please contact Dainius Puras, Scientific leader of the project, at dainius.puras@mf.vu.lt