Page 24 - SAMRC Strategic Plan

eight months. The SAMRC was well represented (i) Systematic review of all studies assessing child/
at the NDOH high-level technical meeting and is adolescent mental health in SA to map the
expected to play a key role in the fourth SADHS. current state of knowledge, provide an overview
of what instruments are currently being used,
(b) South African National Child and Adolescent identify existing evidence-based interventions
Mental Health Survey and highlight knowledge gaps.
The South African Human Rights Commission (ii) Collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos
(SAHRC) conducted an investigative hearing into Foundation (SNF) Global Center for Child and
the status of mental health care in South Africa and Adolescent Mental Health to develop and
released a report titled “Report of The National translate, a culturally appropriate and reliable
Investigative Hearing into The Status of Mental
Health Care In South Africa”. One of the key findings instrument to assess 11 common mental health
from this report was that child and adolescent problems in children / adolescents at the level
mental services are lacking in South Africa. It was of specific disorders. This collaboration would
recommended in the report that the NDOH should also be the basis for the SAMRC to form an
assess the public mental health system’s ability to integral component of a larger global initiative
cater for the needs of children and adolescents with to promote the mental health of children and
psychosocial disabilities. The SAHRC recommends adolescents worldwide.
that this assessment should involve two components, (iii) Collaboration with existing population
namely (i) national representative prevalence survey, surveillance networks (e.g., SAPRIN) and research
with sampling from communities/schools and (ii) groups or organisations that have access to
survey of the current/adolescent mental health child/adolescent cohorts, to pilot and validate
services to assess current service availability and the survey instrument.
utilisation. The NDoH has requested SAMRC to (iv) Develop a protocol and secure ethical clearance
assist it with component (i) and we included this for a national survey (the details of the
project in the 2024/25 annual performance plan, methodology will be informed by the findings of
subject to funding allocation by NDOH. the pilot study).

The SAMRC’s Mental Health, Alcohol, Substance It is envisaged that this preliminary work will be used
Use and Tobacco Research Unit (MASTRU) is to leverage funds and support from the SNF Global
working with NDOH and local and international Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health
experts to (i) develop a culturally appropriate,
reliable and valid instrument to assess a wide at the Child Mind Institute, who are working to
promote the mental health young people in LMICs
range of child/adolescent mental disorders; and (ii)
conduct a national survey to map the epidemiology and will lay the foundation for ongoing collaboration
of child/adolescent mental disorders in SA. The with them.
aims of the national survey are to use the best
available psychiatric epidemiology survey methods (c) Fedisa Modikologo: End the Cycle
to accurately estimate the proportion of children/ The South African Government adopted a
adolescents in need of psychiatric and psychosocial National Strategic Plan on Gender Based Violence
services, and the level (intensity) of intervention and Femicide (GBVF) in 2020 as a society-wide
needed, and to identify risk and protective factors to programme to systemically end gender-based
guide service provision and plan targeted universal violence and femicide. This plan involved various
interventions (i.e., prevention strategies). sectors such as, the safety and security sector,
justice sector, the health sector, civil society. The
In preparation for the larger national survey, the plan references the work carried out by the SAMRC
SAMRC is funding preliminary work which covers the on Femicide and is organised around the following
following tasks: six pillars:

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