Advancing Global Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Reflections from the 2022–2026 IACAPAP Bureau

This article highlights some of the selected Child and Adolescent Mental Health initiatives undertaken globally during the current Bureau's leadership, which was between 2022 and 2026. This has been a period of continued growth and consolidation of structures for the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions (IACAPAP). This was a time marked by rising awareness of child and adolescent mental health needs globally, the Bureau focused on strengthening collaboration, education, advocacy, and capacity development across regions and across professions.

One of the central priorities between 2022 and 2026 was to strengthen the organizational foundations of IACAPAP while preserving its collaborative and international identity. Several leadership and coordination roles were expanded, including those linked to Special Interest Groups (SIGs), support and expansion of early career activities, a drive to grow allied professionals participation, and commitment to provision of regular educational opportunities via sustainance of varied webinar series.

The establishment of new SIGs and the Allied Professionals Think Tank reflected ongoing efforts to create spaces where professionals from different disciplines and regions could connect more regularly between congresses. Communication with members also became more active through newsletters, webinars, social media updates, and the introduction of member-focused initiatives such as the “Full Member Corner.”

Although many of these developments evolved gradually, together they helped strengthen continuity, collaboration, and a stronger sense of connection across the organization. There were also identified opportunities for improvement, particularly in developing clearer systems for measuring outcomes, gathering feedback, and evaluating the long-term impact of activities.

Advocacy continued to be an important part of IACAPAP’s work, particularly at a time when the mental health needs of children and adolescents were becoming increasingly visible worldwide. One of the most visible international initiatives during this period was World Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Day (WICAMHD), developed collaboratively with organizations including the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH), the World Psychiatric Association Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section (WPA-CAP), and the International Society for Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology (ISAPP).

WICAMHD collaboratively with WPA, ISAPP, and WAIM, we created a shared international platform through which professionals, institutions, families, and communities could collectively highlight the importance of child and adolescent mental health across different regions of the world. This initiative in 2026 addressed the theme “Developing Emotional Safety and Preventing Suicide in a Post‑Pandemic World”.

The Bureau also supported public statements and advocacy efforts concerning children affected by conflict and humanitarian crises, including the publication of a statement on the impact of the Gaza conflict on children’s mental health. These activities reflected an ongoing commitment to child rights and global mental health advocacy.

Education and professional development remained at the heart of IACAPAP’s activities throughout this period. Particular attention was given to improving access to learning opportunities for professionals working in regions where specialist CAMH training remains limited.

Educational activities included open-access webinars, public availability of webinar recordings, regular bulletin contributions, and continued work on version 2.0 of the IACAPAP e-Textbook. By 2026, around half of the revised chapters are prepared for presentation at the World Congress.

Collaborations with the Network for Enhancing Wellness in Disaster-Affected Youth (NEW DAY) saw the delivery of Psychological first aid trainings which ran several webinar cycles for members across the globe with certificates being awarded. The trainings were very well received and enthusiastically subscribed to.

The Bureau also participated in collaborative educational projects with organizations such as the Child Mind Institute, Orygen, and the World Health Organization.

Multidisciplinary learning and collaboration also remained important themes throughout these years. Dedicated webinars and symposiums for allied professionals encouraged broader participation from psychologists, nurses, social workers, pediatricians, educators, and other disciplines involved in child and adolescent mental health care.

Benefits to members continued to be a priority including; opportunities to apply for and to receive travel grants to congresses and ensuring continued support for our core training programs namely the Donald J. Cohen Fellowship Program (DJCFP), Helmut Remschmidt Research Seminars (HRRS) and the Henrikje Klasen iCAMH Training.

The Bureau’s term was characterized by continued collaboration with international organizations and professional networks. Partnerships with WPA-CAP, WAIMH, ISAPP, Orygen, and the Child Mind Institute supported educational activities, advocacy campaigns, and several collaborative projects which will be detailed elsewhere.

One notable initiative involved participation in the Global CAP Curriculum, a collaboration with WPA-CAP, including work related to digital environments and youth mental health. Another is the creation of the Item Bank jointly with CMI for assessment of mental disorders and risk factors in children and young people, with global contributions that gives a wide cultural perspective into the final product which will be concluded by the next Bureau. Such collaborations contribute to ongoing discussions regarding international training standards, research priorities, and culturally adaptable CAMH frameworks.

These collaborations reflected a growing recognition that progress in child and adolescent mental health depends on sustained partnerships across disciplines, regions, and professional communities. Although engagement remained uneven across some areas of interest, participation and dialogue continued to grow steadily over the course of the Bureau period.

The Bureau made efforts to expand global representation and improve access for professionals especially from countries with fewer CAMH services. During the review period, new individual members joined the organisation from a diverse range of countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific region.

Efforts were also made to strengthen engagement through online discussion boards, member directories, and expanded digital resources. While participation levels varied, these initiatives helped maintain connections across geographically dispersed members.

Regional webinars organized together with member organizations supported dialogue between national associations and encouraged wider participation. There remains a need of continuing to strengthen representation from underrepresented regions in future activities.

Financial sustainability remains an ongoing challenge for the organization. While our financial administrative processes and overall bottom line improved during the Bureau period, several fundraising initiatives have been undertaken during this period, with varying levels of success. A detailed financial report by the treasurer in the next executive meeting will give further insight into the progress made in this tenure. The consideration that targeted campaigns linked to clearly defined projects may be more sustainable than broader fundraising efforts, such as the ongoing campaign for funding for the Donald Cohen Fellowship program.

Like many international organizations working in global mental health, IACAPAP continues to balance growing aspirations with the practical realities of limited resources and uneven global capacity. Strengthening long-term financial sustainability and  capacity will continue to be important priorities moving forward.

The years between 2022 and 2026 may best be understood as a period of consolidation, gradual expansion, and continued international engagement. Progress was made in strengthening organizational structures, increasing educational activities, improving communication, and supporting multidisciplinary collaboration.

At the same time, there remain several areas that warrant continued attention, including: development of clearer outcome measurements and evaluation systems, increasing participation from underrepresented regions, enhancing utilization of online membership platforms and expanding long-term collaborative research initiatives.

Looking ahead, future priorities are likely to include workforce development in low- and middle-income countries, strengthening AI and other digital mental health initiatives for CAMH, youth participation, implementation science, and culturally responsive approaches to care.

The 2022–2026 Bureau of IACAPAP in its term have strengthened and sustained existing IACAPAP structures, whilst also contributing to ongoing global efforts in child and adolescent mental health through advocacy, education, collaboration, and professional engagement. While many initiatives are still evolving efforts, the years from 2022 to 2026 reflect a sustained commitment to international cooperation and shared IACAPAP goals across diverse settings.

As the Bureau prepares to complete its second term in July of 2026, there is so much gratitude expressed from our team towards all our collaborators, volunteers and members, who have all contributed in different ways to achieve any progress seen, stability noted, and innovation brought on board. We believe that the experiences of this period highlight both the opportunities embraced and also the challenges involved in advancing global CAMH through an international professional association as ours. Continued collaboration, inclusivity, and incremental organizational strengthening will remain important for future progress.

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2. International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions. (2022–2026). IACAPAP bulletins, webinars, educational activities, and member platform updates.
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7. Orygen and World Health Organization. (2024). Collaborative initiatives in youth mental health and digital environments.
8. The Child Mind Institute & International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions. (2024). Collaborative initiatives related to the LUMI clinical assessment tool.

IACAPAP Bulletin, Issue 82