The new national guide to working in children and young people's mental health states that the municipality must provide low-threshold mental health services and comprehensive care tailored to the needs of children and young people.
The Norwegian Directorate for Health (Helsedirektoratet) coordinated the work on the preparation of the guide in cooperation with the Norwegian Directorate for Education, the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Families, Husbanken and Norwegian Directorate of Labor and Social Welfare.
– This is an important guide intended to ensure comprehensive psychiatric care children and youth at the lowest possible level. This service will complement the health clinic, school health service and GP program, says Chief Health Officer Bjørn Guldvog.
The aim of the guide is to help local authorities in the care of children and young people aged 0-25 with mental problems and their families. The offer must be available without a referral and contain easily accessible contact details for residents. It is also important that children and their families can participate in the design and implementation of the offer.
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A useful tool
The service must have interdisciplinary expertise, which means that different sectors in the borough must work together on mental health care. The guide is a useful tool for achieving this goal, from health promotion and preventive measures to follow-up and treatment.
It will also explain municipalities' cooperation with mental health services for children and young people (PHBU).
Cross-sector cooperation is the key
The guide explains the responsibilities of the different sectors (education, childcare, health, center) for the mental health of children and young people. At the same time, the guide also highlights the importance of cross-sector cooperation and coordination. The guide also touches on drugs and violence.
The recommendations were developed through in-depth analysis and engagement with relevant actors and users during the process and consultation rounds. A broad reference group, consisting of representatives of users, municipalities, health care organizations and expert and research communities, contributed to providing the caregiver with a good professional foundation.
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Source: Norwegian Directorate of Health
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