Strengthening quality of mental health care for children and adolescents across the WHO European Region

The WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens, Greece, in collaboration with the WHO European Mental Health Flagship team and the WHO Collaborating Centre on Quality-of-Life and Wellbeing at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, will host 2 consecutive events in Thessaloniki between 2 and 7 November 2024. 

These events are designed to improve the quality of mental health care for children and adolescents in Greece and across the Region. Supported by the Government of Greece, they will bring together experts, policy-makers, young professionals and key stakeholders from across the Region to drive progress in these critical areas. 

1st Autumn School on Quality of Child and Adolescent Mental Health: 2–6 November 2024 

The WHO Autumn School on Quality of Child and Adolescent Mental Health is a 5-day interactive programme tailored for individuals working in prominent mental health positions across selected Member States. 

Through a combination of small-group discussions, case studies and expert-run workshops, participants will explore strategies to define, assess and improve the quality of child and adolescent mental health services. 

Key topics will include the new WHO European Quality Standards for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, leadership skills, and practical approaches to improving the quality of care. Attendees will also engage in discussions on how to implement these strategies in their home countries. 

The curriculum will focus on: 

• equipping participants with knowledge and tools for enhancing the quality of child and adolescent mental health services;
• fostering leadership skills through self-reflection and communication exercises;
• developing stress management skills; and 
• encouraging collaboration among professionals from different regions to share best practices and innovations in child and adolescent mental health care. 

3rd Mental Health Week: 6–7 November 2024 

Building on the success of the past 2 editions, the 3rd WHO Mental Health Week will be combined with the Autumn School. As an annual event, it has become a key platform for sharing innovations and ways to improve the quality of child and adolescent mental health care across the Region. 

On the first day, WHO will launch 2 exciting new tools: the WHO European Quality Standards for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Mapping tool. Members of the Young Researchers Forum for quality of child and adolescent mental health care and collaborators will present new research and findings. Participants will engage in interactive sessions to examine quality improvement initiatives to bolster mental health services regionally. 

On the second day, the focus will be on measuring and improving mental health care quality in Greece and the Region. Participants will share quality improvement initiatives, discuss quality indicators and quality improvement in Greece, and engage in an interactive session on implementing the new WHO Quality Standards.