Mental health difficulties in childhood and adolescence have wide‑ranging consequences for functioning, development and life‑course trajectories. Despite this burden, child and adolescent mental health conditions remain under‑recognized and under‑treated. Mental health has been identified as a top priority under WHO/Europe–UNICEF Strategy for Child and Adolescent Health and Well-being in the WHO European Region 2026–2030, adopted unanimously in October 2025 by all 53 Member States in the WHO European Region. At the European Union level, the European Commission considers mental health a priority, as reflected in the Communication on a Comprehensive Approach to Mental Health, highlighting the need for stronger policies, better services, and increased investment in prevention and early intervention. Recent work supported by the European Union and implemented by WHO and UNICEF has generated important evidence and practical tools to support countries in strengthening mental health systems to improve child and adolescent mental health outcomes across Europe.

This lunch symposium will bring together representatives of the European Commission, UNICEF, WHO, EUPHA, governments and practitioners, to discuss how evidence can be translated into concrete action, policies and services that improve outcomes for children and young people.

Objectives include:

1. Present recent evidence generation and scale-up initiatives and key findings relevant to child and adolescent mental health.

• Introduce the DG SANTE-supported UNICEF toolkit and its application in strengthening mental health systems.
• Present WHO guidance and evidence
• Showcase examples from Joint Actions and country experiences demonstrating the translation of evidence into policy and practice.

2. Promote dialogue about evidence-informed policy and investment decisions that support the scale-up of comprehensive mental health services, including universal, selective and indicated prevention, early intervention and quality care, responsive to the evolving needs of children, adolescents and young people.

3. Integrate youth voices on mental health services and unmet needs, ensuring that young people’s experiences of service accessibility, quality, and the role of digital environments are recognised as essential evidence in shaping future policy and practice.

4. Strengthen collaboration among European institutions, governments and partners working in the field of mental health