In Kosovo, there is a lack of mechanisms for the early identification of children facing mental health challenges. This is what the preliminary findings of the Ombudsman Institution’s report on children’s mental health show. At the discussion table where this issue was discussed, the need for a greater number of psychologists in schools was also emphasized.

The Ombudsman, Naim Qelaj said that the legal framework does not ensure the provision of specialized and psychological support at the community level.

“There is a lack of systematic mechanisms for the early identification of children facing mental health challenges. The second issue concerns the limited access to specialized psychological support in primary and secondary care. The existing legal framework does not ensure the provision of specialized and psychological support at the community level. Another challenge or finding that continues to emerge as a result of research findings, concerns the inadequate mental health services for children at the secondary level. There is slso a low number of mental health professionals, including child psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, both at the secondary level and at the tertiary level of care”, stated Qelaj.

In the discussion about children’s mental health, the Ombudsman emphasized the need for a greater number of psychologists in schools.

“Stigma and negative perception of services in institutions as a barrier to seeking psychological help. I have been interested and I have seen that in some research that has been conducted, almost 20 percent of children who have mental health problems receive health care treatment, there is no willingness in the children, nor in the parents, and other caregivers to receive such a service. And this is undoubtedly a problem. The small number of psychologists in schools, which is also a result of the legal framework, and the appointment of psychologists in schools, based on the number of students, often leaves a large number of children without this care”, added the Ombudsman.

Meanwhile, Merita Bajraktari Januzi from the Ministry of Education said that work is being done to implement the Law on the Protection of Children.

“We have worked hard in recent years to ensure the implementation of the Law on the Protection of Children, which addresses the aspects of preventing violence and protecting children from vulnerable circumstances. We have continuously held sessions in order to implement the protocol for the prevention and referral of violence in schools. We have developed the child protection policy, as a document that must be implemented by every school, as a guide on how to protect the child in the context of the school from everything that is vulnerable, in line with the requirements of the Child Protection Law”, she said.

In the discussion about children’s mental health, the head of Children’s Psychiatry at UCCK criticized the institutions regarding the budget division for children and teenagers.

“Each strategic plan does not foresee a budget for children and teenagers. So we are guided by the principle followed by the Ministry of Education, I am talking about the Ombudsman’s institution to promote this right, where the budgeting is divided per student, so here too it should be done per citizen. What matters is that the mandatory representation of ages 0-18 in the budget should be applied”, she emphasized.

Representatives from the Centers for Social Work, the Kosovo Police, and the Ministry of Justice also took part in this roundtable discussion on children’s mental health.