TREAT INTERACT: Implementing a user involved education- and health system interactive task-shifting approach for child mental health promotion in Uganda
The project will investigate whether training teachers in mental health can reduce violence and provide more children in Uganda with access to psychosocial support, by using a teacher-focused intervention and strengthened cooperation between the education and health sectors.
About the project
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Project period: 31.07.2021 - 30.07.2026 (Active)
- Coordinating Institution: Norwegian Institute of Public Health
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Project Manager:
- Ane-Marthe Solheim Skar, Unknown
Summary
Uganda is recognizing mental problems among children as a major public health challenge. However, mental health services are facing lack of resources, stigmatizing attitudes, and a lack of help-seeking and systems for referrals. A task-shifting approach is highlighted as necessary to archive universal health coverage. The primary school attendance in Uganda is close to 100% for the first grades in primary school and constitute as such a unique opportunity for detection. The aim of the TREAT INTERACT project is to develop, implement and evaluate the impact of a novel, inter-sectorial TREATment INTERACTive program to identify, prevent and treat mental health problems in children and adolescents in Uganda through a user involved task-shifting adaptation and implementation of TREAT INTERACT, based on the WHO´s mhGAP-IG (Mental Health Gap Action Programme, Intervention Guide) among primary school staff. The overall goal is to generate knowledge on task-shifting implementation strategies to strengthen the inter-sectorial collaboration enhancing communication and referral strategies between the child’s school, community, and the health system. The TREAT INTERACT project group from the Norwegian Center for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, the University of Bergen and Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Norway, and the University of Makerere in Uganda, have designed a work programme consisting of 4 scientific work-packages (WP). In WP1 we will use intervention and implementation mapping and user-involvement in the development of the TREAT INTERACT intervention for the primary school focusing on child development, behavioural- and emotional mental health. WP2 will test out the implementation and intersectoral communication strategies using a stepped-wedge design. WP3 will implement the TREAT INTERACT school module together with a referral and supervision system and school communication platform. In WP4 we will assess sustainability and integration perspectives.