Mental Health Cascade Study
The primary objective of this project was to address the mental health research, service, and policy gaps in South Africa. It aimed to refine and implement a child mental health service transformation framework, focusing on empowering child community care workers and communities to meet the mental health needs of vulnerable children.
Emphasis was placed on trainer capacity development. Psycho-social training on child mental health was provided to community development workers, covering four key areas:
- Foundation skills (concepts, stigma, child development, risk and protective factors)
- Common child mental health problems (emotional, behavioural, and attachment-related)
- Psychological interventions
- Working with communities, with interspersed trainer skills across all modules.
The project aimed to improve mental health awareness and skills among community care workers and beneficiaries which translates to better support for vulnerable children and youth, addressing mental health challenges, and promoting, overall well-being.
One article has been published and several more are underway.