On December 18th, 2023 a validation workshop was held for 2 draft analyzes related to mental health and psychosocial support of children and adolescents in North Macedonia.
Namely, they are: Comparative analysis of the child protection legislation pertaining to MHPSS with international and EU standards, and Gap analysis of services, capacities, and needs to provide mental health, including MHPSS to children in the child/social welfare systems, including services for children at risk, families/caregivers, and professionals. These analyzes were made in collaboration with the UNICEF Office in N. Macedonia in the framework of the program “The way forward: solutions for a better response to the needs for mental health and psychosocial support for children and young people in N. Macedonia” whose main goal is to create solutions for a sustainable and effective system for the protection and support of children and youth in terms of the well-being of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS).
The workshop was attended by 18 representatives of competent institutions, civil society organizations and UNICEF. All participants were previously involved in the data collection methodology for the analyses, some in individual interviews, and some in different focus groups. The analyzes were presented by the national experts Elena Dimushevska and Neda Chalovska Dimoska, followed by a discussion with recommendations for improving the drafts.
The participants agreed with the findings, but also opened other issues related to the prevention and protection of the mental health of children and adolescents in the system of child and social protection. In particular, the cooperation with health institutions, that is, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Justice, that is, children in correctional facilities and children in conflict with the law, were discussed. For a large part of these users, there are no services for the prevention and protection of mental health, and to a large extent work should be done in that direction, the attendees agreed.
The remarks and comments will be included in the final analyses, from which a third document should emerge, namely a Roadmap to outline the development of services and capacities of the child/social protection system.
