Why this project?

India has the world’s largest population of children and adolescents, many of whom experience vulnerabilities emerging from poverty, conflict, displacement, and abuse. These experiences leave a profound impact on their mental health and psychosocial well-being. Suicide is the leading cause of death among older adolescents aged 15–18 in India. Children residing in child protection institutions are more likely than their peers to experience psychological distress, mental health concerns and psychosocial difficulties. Yet, widespread misunderstandings about childhood, trauma, and children’s behaviour can shape how their needs are perceived and responded to.

Integrating timely and appropriate mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) into existing child protection systems can strengthen the system’s capacity to address children’s emotional and psychological needs as part of routine care. This can improve access to holistic support for vulnerable children and contribute to the prevention of adolescent suicides through early identification of risk of suicide, support required, and timely intervention.

How are we addressing the issue?

CMHLP in partnership with UNICEF aims to bridge this gap by building the capacity of child protection functionaries, service providers, civil society organizations and caregivers to deliver trauma-informed protection services. The project has developed a capacity building program that is relevant to the socio-cultural realities of children and functionaries and is embedded within existing child protection systems. Currently, this project is being implemented in Nashik, Maharashtra, and Dhamtari and Kondagaon, Chhattisgarh, with plans to scale up to additional districts.

What is the potential impact?

This is one of the first initiatives to develop a structured capacity-building model for integrating MHPSS in child protection systems, strengthening the capacity of functionaries to recognize and respond to the psychosocial needs of children from vulnerable backgrounds.

The project will develop evidence-based, contextually adaptable training modules and assess their feasibility and effectiveness using standardised competency assessment frameworks like EQUIP, adapted to local contexts, to support scale-up across diverse settings and strengthen access to MHPSS for children within the child protection system.

Where have we have reached?

Consultations:

Regional consultations were conducted with 100+ stakeholders including functionaries from the child protection system, and members of the civil society to understand training needs, knowledge gaps, and challenges in supporting children. Consultations were also held with 70+ children to understand their psychosocial needs during their stay in childcare institutions and to identify existing resources and support systems that can be incorporated in MHPSS frameworks.

Training:

30 child protection functionaries in implementation districts are currently undergoing training to integrate MHPSS into routine practice by reducing unhelpful responses and strengthening supportive, child-centred approaches. The training uses a competency-based approach, emphasising reflection and practice-based learning to strengthen participants’ ability to apply MHPSS skills in their everyday interactions with children.

The training has adapted EQUIP: Ensuring Quality in Psychological Support, a WHO-UNICEF framework designed to improve the competence of helpers and the consistency and quality of training and service delivery. It draws specifically on WeACT (Working with Children – Assessment of Competencies Tool), EQUIP’s competency-based framework for assessing skills among those working with children.

Supervision and Mentoring:

Functionaries are supported through ongoing online and in-person mentoring and supervision during and after training. Sessions focus on applying skills in practice, peer learning, and strengthening participants’ capacity to provide psychosocial support to children through everyday interactions.

Future Directions

Training Master Trainers: Master trainers will be identified from the current cohort of trainees and supported to train and mentor other child protection functionaries.

Scale-up and Institutional integration: Training materials and manuals will be further contextualized for implementation across additional districts in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, alongside efforts to integrate MHPSS into routine practices and strengthen the sustained, system-level provision of psychosocial support to children.