New approach to tackle the crisis in mental health

Urgent needs

Some 84 million children worldwide experience psychological and social problems as a result of violence and armed conflict. The needs of these children are urgent and growing in complexity - but currently underserved. A massive ‘treatment gap’ exists between available services and the critical needs that remain unaddressed.

This central challenge is the subject of a major speech from Professor Mark Jordans - War Child head of Research and Development - to mark the inauguration of the War Child Holland academic chair. Professor Jordans argues that new systemic approaches - ones that draw on community resources to be delivered rapidly at large scale - are urgently required.

In his speech Professor Jordans proposes a new system of care with the potential to bridge the ‘treatment gap’ in mental health provision - as he explains in this new video:

The entire lecture text - Improving the Mental Health of Children in Conflict-Affected and Low-Resource Settings: Children’s Steps to Leaps Forward - is available to download here. The lecture - delivered on Thursday November 21 in the Auditorium of the University of Amsterdam - marks the inauguration of the War Child Holland academic chair.