Report on – 33rd IC Resolution 2: Addressing mental health and psychosocial needs of people affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies (33IC/19/R2) – Hellenic Red Cross

Has your State/National Society/Institution incorporated the commitments contained in this resolution into the relevant strategic or operational plans?

The commitments are incorporated into:
Strategy
Policy
Legislation (e.g. Law, Regulation, Statutes, Rules of Procedure etc.)

At the International, Regional, National level

Explanation:

The Hellenic Red Cross has incorporated the commitments in this Resolution into its overall Strategy, policy, and operational plans.
In this regard:

• MHPSS consists of an integral part of the HRC services and activities provided by the Social Welfare Division and has been integrated into the services offered by other Departments and Divisions (e.g., PFA provision), like Health and Samaritans, including prevention and protection. There is also a Mental Health Reference Person in the Health Sector and a psychiatrist employed in the primary health care services at the Athens and Kallithea Educational Health Stations who has been included and completed the MHPSS services provision.
• Increased efforts to ensure early and sustained access to mental health and psychosocial support for the beneficiaries by developing and establishing a holistic approach model on the MHPSS provision to ensure that mental health and psychosocial support responses include psychosocial, psychological, and specialized mental health care. To reach this goal nationwide, social services should be utilized in 10 local branches and other local branches in different regions of Greece.
• Strengthened the internal cooperation between the Health and Social Welfare Divisions. In this context, SOPs on the provision of the MHPSS services provided by the two Divisions have been developed on the opportunity of the HRC participation in the EU4Health program on the provision of PFA and MHPSS services at Ukrainians living in Greece, affected by the war.
• Enhanced cooperation with several NGOs, actors, and public services at the national and international levels to address the beneficiaries’ MHPSS needs.
• Developed an Emergency Response MHPSS Mobile Unit in 2016. Under the operation of this unit, mental health and psychosocial support are integral components in domestic and international HRC emergency response systems, including training, preparedness plans, and emergency response coordination mechanisms.
• Has increased the actions and events implementation towards the awareness raising and sensitization of the community to address stigma, exclusion, and discrimination related to mental health. In this regard this period it has been planned and is under development a Mobile Unit for the provision of MHPSS services as well as raising awareness and sensitization according to current respective issues of the community all over the country ( e.g., Bullying, GBV, addictions, risks of web use, trafficking and any others)
• Has increased PFA and MHPSS training for staff and volunteers and care mechanisms, including regular monthly meetings, a feedback system, and supervision to strengthen the quality and capacity of the workforce responding to mental health. Accordingly, even in emergencies, there is available MHPSS support and care by the HRC PSS Coordinator, the SWD MHPSS reference persons, and the Health MHPSS reference person for those exposed and affected by the challenging and very often traumatic situations towards the protection and promotion of the mental health and psychosocial well-being of staff and volunteers.

Has your State/National Society/Institution been working with other partners to implement the commitments contained in this resolution?

Partner with:
Government and/or public authorities
ICRC/IFRC
Other National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies
Humanitarian and development partners (e.g. UN, NGOs etc.)

Examples of cooperation:

Hellenic Red Cross, in the framework of operating MHPSS Services and Programs, has developed a range of collaborations and actions with different partners, including Non-Governmental Organizations and Public Mental Health Centers and Institutions that provide Psychosocial, Psychological, and Psychiatric support.
Regarding mental health needs, HRC MHPSS professionals maintain close collaboration and referral pathways with other partners to address beneficiaries’ needs in the holistic support framework efficiently.

Moreover, aiming at the well-being of the people of concern, it provides services for adults and minors that respond to their needs, focusing mainly on those with vulnerabilities, by providing a range of services for individuals as well as activities for groups ( CBMHPSS ), including:
Services for individuals
• PFA
• Counseling
• Case Management
• Psychosocial support
• Psychological support
• Psychotherapy
• Information, Guidance
• Referrals
• MHPSS Hotline
Helpline for refugees MHPSS support (interpretation is available in 12 languages, and it is provided by cultural mediators)
• Legal advice
• Social skills – capacity building towards the social integration of refugees & migrants
• Support for the integration of the labor market

Activities for groups ( CBMHPSS )

• PFA
• Recreational activities
• Handcrafts
• Arts
• Sports
• Psychoeducation
• Parent groups
• Social Skills growth
• Language courses for refugees & migrants
• Support lessons for students
• Intercultural Activities
• MHPSS Trainings

In the frame of the HRS mentioned above, it collaborates with several actors, including:

• Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support & International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) in the frame of technical support, training, partnerships (e.g., EU4Health program )
• UNCHR
• IOM (International Organization for Migration)
• Ministry of Migration and Asylum
• Migrant Integration Center of Municipality of Thessaloniki (MFC Thessaloniki)
• Social pharmacies for the provision of MH medicines
• Hospitals and public mental health services
• Various NGOs and churches that provide material support or food (Alkyone Day Center, Irida Day Center, Waves Organization, Terre Des Homme, Intersos Hellas)
• Actors for the support of GBV cases (DIOTIMA center, A21 Center, ARSIS day center)
• A wide range of employers and professional associations that have expressed an interest in hiring asylum seekers or recognized refugees (MFC’s Athens employability service)
• Organizations and public entities that provide safe accommodation for individuals and families, such as the Mother Tereza Institution, Doctors of the World (A Step Forward shelter), National Center of Social Solidarity, and Metadrasi (shelter for single women & mothers).
• Schools for the support of children and UAMs
• Certified Disability Centers for the support of people with disabilities
• Alzheimer’s Day centers for the support of elderly people
• Nursing homes for the support of elderly people
• Municipalities and their services (e.g., the Municipality of Heraklion Attica, Athens, Thessaloniki) to support beneficiaries according to their needs.
• Local authorities in the frame of the Street work Action (Municipalities, Police, Coast Guard, etc.)
• Coordination Centre for Migrants and Refugees of the Municipality of Athens ( ACCMR )
• BABEL – Mental Health Unit for Migrants

Also, in the frame of HRC collaboration on International programs like the COVID-19 Emergency response, the Ukraine Emergency Appeal (2022-2023), and EU4Health, the Provision of quality and timely Psychological First Aid to people affected by the Ukraine crisis in impacted countries (2023-2024).

Have you encountered any challenges in implementing the commitments contained in this resolution?

With challenges on:
Human resources
Funding constraints
Lack of capacity and/or support (technical, financial, or other)

Details about challenges:

Hellenic Red Cross, in the frame of providing MHPSS services and activities, deals with some challenges in implementing the commitments contained in this resolution.
Respective challenges concern:

• Lack of stable funding that could ensure the continuation and quality of the services provided.
• In some cases, as a consequence of the lack of funding, there are not enough spaces for the implementation services and activities.
• The uncertain sustainability of many programs (e.g., MFCs, UAM Shelters) hinders the professional’s intentions and motivation to develop new projects and plan long-term activities.
• Considering the increasing population’s needs for MHPSS services provision, there is a need to reinforce the existing facilities with more staff.
• The definition of roles and tasks and the best possible collaboration of the Health and Social Welfare Divisions and staff towards improving services provision and harmonization.
• Ensuring that the MHPSS needs of the staff and volunteers are met. They are often exposed to managing complex, even traumatic, situations in the field, which may affect their emotions and well-being.
• Lack of safe and stable accommodation schemes for refugees and migrants, regardless of their asylum status and vulnerability, deteriorates their mental health condition. This deprivation exposes them to adverse living conditions, raises protection issues, and hinders the progress that can be accomplished through mental health interventions.
• Lack of services providing financial support, which leads people of concern to inability to cover everyday needs.
• Undocumented migrants are denied access to public mental health services, so they can only be referred to NGOs, where they face long waiting lists. In addition, the lack of a valid legal status creates many obstacles for professionals trying to assist their needs by referring them to relevant services.
• There are gaps in the provision of services, including MHPSS services and programs for elderly people.
• Pensions are meager and are not sufficient for the coverage of the needs of elderly people, which directly affects the well-being and mental health of the elderly people.
• There is no vacancy for the access of elderly in a nursing home when necessary since the few public ones have a long waiting time, and additionally there are minimal
• Although some programs exist to support homeless people (“Transitional Hostels,» “Dormitories,” “Housing and Work,» rent subsidies for operating needs/expenses, etc.), they are not enough to meet the existing needs, and housing is considered one of the most intractable problems.

Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the work and direction of your State/National Society/Institution?

Type of Impact:
Programming and operations have become more effective and efficient
Partnerships with other humanitarian actors have been created or enhanced
Increase in mobilization of resources
Training and capacity of staff and volunteers has increased (for National Societies)

Details about the impact:

Taking into consideration the commitments contained in this resolution as well as the high increase of mental health and psychosocial support needs in general for the population due to several crisis events during the last years, like the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the climate change, the war in Palestine, the financial crisis, HRC Social Welfare Division emphasized in the further development of MHPSS services and programs in the context of a holistic approach.
In this regard, MHPSS tools and methods, such as operating MHPSS Hotlines and developing Guides on MHPSS topical issues of high social interest, have been utilized to enrich the HRC’s arsenal of MHPSS services and activities.
In the framework of this approach, beyond extending the MHPSS services and activities, MHPSS training has been implemented more extensively for HRC staff, volunteers, citizens, and external actors.
Also, care for staff and volunteers have been developed and established, including regular meetings and sessions upon request or under emergencies conducted by the HRC PSS Coordinator, the SWD MHPSS reference persons, and the Health MHPSS reference person, aiming to protect and promote the mental health and psychosocial well-being of staff and volunteers.
Additionally, supervision has been integrated into the implementation of MHPSS services and programs to strengthen the quality and capacity of the workforce and volunteers.
Furthermore, HRC is implementing social actions and events towards raising awareness and sensitization of the population on MHPSS issues, aiming to address stigma, exclusion, and discrimination related to mental health.
In the frame of the MHPSS services extension and completion, a psychiatrist employed in the primary health care services at the Athens and Kallithea Educational Health Stations ( HRC the Health Sector ) under the program EU4Health for the provision of PFA as well as MHPSS services to Ukrainians affected by the war living in Greece.

Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the communities that your State/National Society/Institution serves?

Description of the impact:

According to the feedback from the beneficiaries of the different HRC MHPSS Services and programs, there is a high and positive impact on the communities and the beneficiaries served under the following reasons:

• The results of Evaluation surveys that beneficiaries are asked to complete after receiving a service.
• The number of beneficiaries requesting HRC MHPSS services is steadily increasing yearly.
• Beneficiaries express that the primary reason for selecting HRC to request respective services is the satisfaction of friends or familiar persons who have already been served by our NS.
• The institution of the “community volunteers”, deriving by migratory and refugees’ population, who have already received HRC MHPSS services.
• Especially, as regards the migratory populations, an important part of the positive impact results from the fact of the existence of interpreters in the frame of the services provision, giving the sense of trust and intimacy to the beneficiaries by speaking their mother language.
• There is increasing acknowledgment by other NGOs, public services, and organizations that address HRC towards collaborations or MHPSS training requests.
• An increasing number of citizens are requesting HRC MHPSS training, especially for PFA.