Community-Based Psychosocial Support to children, adolescents, caregivers and vulnerable populations (CB-PSS)

Background: 

Nepal’s population is disproportionately young, 40 percent of which are children and adolescents under the age of 18 years. Given the considerable share of the adolescent population (24 percent), the demographic dividend this population brings, and because it is their right, Nepal must ensure that these young people are given the support and opportunities they need to reach their full potential. Although half of all mental health and psychosocial problems, such as depression and anxiety, start by the age of 14, and 75 percent occur before the age of 18, these often go unrecognized and untreated, with subsequent effects on adult mental health, social functioning, and parenting, even potentially leading to acts of suicide or self-harm.

The program is developed acknowledging the criticality of addressing structural gaps in psychosocial service provision, enhancing social acceptance of psychosocial needs, and improving coordination between community-based and specialized MHPS services. For this, our project aims to identify children and adolescents with psychosocial problems, provide service to them, raise awareness on psychosocial issues among them and their caregivers, and help teachers with case identification and first-level management. 

Objectives:

• To promote the psychological well-being of children, adolescents, caregivers, and vulnerable persons in need of psychosocial support
• To increase awareness on psychological and mental health issues
• To sensitize the importance of addressing psychosocial issues and advocate for policy development for integrating PSS into the program
•  To improve the quality of psychosocial support through training, effective mentoring, and clinical supervision
• To enhance the integration of psychosocial support in schools to reduce the risk of violence, including early marriage, online violence, and exploitation, with a focus on enhancing the capacity of school management, teachers, students, and parents

Implementation areas: 

Madhesh Province: Dhanusha, Mahottari, Saptari, Rautahat, and Parsa (7 municipalities)

Bagmati Province: Kathmandu 

Karnali Province: Surkhet, Dailekh and Kalikot (5 municipalities)

Sudurpaschim Province: Kailali, Kanchanpur, Doti and Bajura (6 municipalities)

Time frame: September 2023 to December 2024  

Target Population: Children and adolescents, their caregivers, teachers, and survivors of suicide and GBV

Supported by: UNICEF