Mental health systems to reach children where they are

Improving access to critical mental health services for adolescents and children in the Philippines

UNICEF Innovation
in Catbalogan, Philippines, Karylle (left), 14, and her little sister scroll through social media on the phone.
UNICEF/UNI455532/Rai
22 November 2023

Poor mental health can profoundly affect health and learning among children and adolescents. Exposure to adverse childhood experiences such as physical and emotional abuse is strongly associated with mental health conditions that can severely impact a child’s well-being, safety and future. Globally, the incidences of mental health disorders is on the rise, and suicide is the fifth most prevalent cause of death for adolescent boys and girls aged 10–19.1 

Recognizing the urgent need to strengthen mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) for young people across East Asia and the Pacific, UNICEF initiated a research project in 2021 to identify how MHPSS can be most effectively implemented. At the core of this research initiative was the utilization of a conceptual framework in four regional countries – Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Thailand. The aim was to investigate the potential implementation of MHPSS strategies across diverse contexts.  

UNICEF has a longstanding relationship with health authorities in the Philippines, having worked with the Philippine General Hospital Child Protection Unit and the Child Protection Network Foundation since the 1990s to set up, operate and support a system of women and child protection units (WCPUs) across the country.  

These WCPUs – made up of specially trained, multidisciplinary teams of doctors and medical personnel, social workers, mental health professionals, teachers, lawyers and police – serve as critical one-stop centres for women and children who are victims of violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation. With 84 units in 48 provinces across the Philippines, they are able to manage at least 14,000 new cases per year. 

But with onset of COVID-19 in 2020, the use of these important centres was severely impacted. Due to fear of infection and mobility restrictions imposed during the lockdown, reports of violence against women and children decreased drastically at the centres. Even when WPCUs remained open, children and caregivers were unable to come in for care, services and treatment. 

In response, UNICEF Philippines – together with the Philippine Department of Health and the Child Protection Network Foundation and with support from the UNICEF Office of Innovation – implemented an innovative solution to equip WCPUs with teleconsultation capabilities. The project set up over 80 TeleCPU Centres around the country for easier accessibility to those in need, each equipped with desktop computers, internet connectivity, webcams and audio/video conferencing. 

Innovation is crucial for UNICEF to find new and better ways to address the complex challenges faced by children in Philippines. The TeleCPU initiative is just one example – a digital intervention that ensures access to mental health care and child abuse reporting, as well as case management continuity for staff.

This is a vital – and convenient – mechanism that reduces barriers to treatment and confidential services.

Oyunsaikhan Dendevnorov, UNICEF Representative, Philippines

As of February 2023, over 3500 children and caregivers had used TeleCPUs to get the care, treatment and services they needed across the National Captial Region, Baguio, Cebu and Davao. Before the pandemic, many of these children and caregivers had to travel to WPCUs in person, returning over several sessions to access services. But with the innovative TeleCPU service, all they now need is a computer with internet.  

Through this partnership, women and children have been able to continue accessing the services they need – through the pandemic and beyond – and staff have been able to better manage high-risk cases – enabling the system not only to keep pace, but to expand and better serve communities in more remote areas. 

The TeleCPUs project is part of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-being Portfolio at UNICEF. The UNICEF Global Innovation Portfolios align technical and financial resources to promising projects that can accelerate results for children in key focus areas, including learning, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, climate change, gender equality, youth, and immunization. By bringing these proven solutions to more countries, UNICEF’s Office of Innovation strives to strategically and efficiently address some of the greatest and most pressing challenges facing children.  

To find out more and support this work, contact innovation@unicef.org  


1. United Nations Children’s Fund, The State of the World’s Children 2021: On My Mind – Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health, p.10