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) – Slovak Red Cross

¿ Ha incorporado el Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución los empeños contenidos en esta resolución en los planes estratégicos u operativos pertinentes?

Los compromisos han sido incorporados en
plan operativo

A nacional nivel

Explicación:

We developed a 6-months plan of MHPSS operations, which is regularly updated and renewed. At the moment, we’re also developing a sustainability plan for MHPSS operations.

We also have a policy and framework on Caring for Staff and Volunteers, which reflects on the commitments in the resolution, including early access to mental health support and psychosocial support by affected people, investing in community based actions and strengthening local capacities, enhancing cooperation with public authorities, ensuring that mental health support is addressed also in other areas of humanitarian work, addressing stigma, exclusion and discrimination through communications campagins, supporting mental health of staff and volunteers through peer to peer support and suppervisions.

We drafted the strategic document related to MHPSS support and provisionat the HQ and then disseminated them for implementation across our branches.

Ha trabajado el Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución con otros asociados para poner en práctica los empeños contenidos en esta resolución?

En asociación con:
Sociedad Nacional de la Cruz Roja o de la Media Luna Roja de su país
CICR/Federación Internacional
otras Sociedades Nacionales de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja
asociados en los ámbitos humanitario y de desarrollo (por ejemplo, Naciones Unidas, organizaciones no gubernamentales)

Ejemplos de cooperación:

IFRC: We have been working very closely with IFRC on launch and development of MHPSS programme, including having IFRC MHPSS delegate in Bratislava Office (the SRC Headquarters). The partnership with IFRC has been instrumental in developing our MHPSS programme which did not exist formally prior to 2022.

ICRC: We have also been working with our RFL colleagues (i.e. ICRC link) on disseminating MHPSS information, particularly on self-care and wellbeing, plus have also trained the RFL staff on Psychological First Aid. They have also run induction sessions on RFL at our trainings on Community-Based MHPSS in our community centres dedicated to MHPSS.

Government: We are part of the Committee on Psychosocial Support in MHPSS. It is the permanent coordinating, consultative and specialist body of the Slovak Government Council on mental health.

Other NS: We are in regular contact with our Czech counterparts and are currently to run multilateral training on supportive supervisions (bringing together 4 NS: Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian and Luxembourg).

NGOs: We work with the League for Mental Health at regional level as with one of our key referral organisations providing psycho-therapeutic support to our beneficiaries (tier 3 of MHPSS pyramid). We have also engaged in discussion with UNHCR Slovakia Office upon recommendation from PS Centre in planning PFA trainings for their staff and community of Ukrainian beneficiaries.

¿Ha habido dificultades para poner en práctica los empeños contenidos en esta resolución?

¿Han incidido los empeños contenidos en esta resolución en el trabajo y la dirección del Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución?

Tipo de repercusión:
fortalecimiento de la cooperación entre el gobierno o las autoridades públicas y la Sociedad Nacional
desarrollo y uso de herramientas o metodologías innovadoras
establecimiento o fortalecimiento de asociaciones con otros actores humanitarios
formación y capacidad de los miembros del personal y de los voluntarios (en el caso de las Sociedades Nacionales);

Describa detalladamente las repercusiones:

As indicated above, our NS did not have a formal MHPSS programme prior to 2022, though a lot of MHPSS services have been provided across the existing programmes, particularly among first responders and first aid providers. Implementing the commitments within the Resolution and grants via IFRC helped us to launch MHPSS as a programme in its own right that entails strategic planning of trainings and implementation of standards. From 2023 to date (June 2024), we have trained nearly 600 staff and volunteers, including Ukrainians in psychological first aid and c. 60 staff and volunteers (incl. Ukrainians) in Community-Based MHPSS. We have also introduced and are currently piloting supportive supervisions nationwide as part of fidelity and caring for staff and volunteers.

We have also founded 6 community centres dedicated to community-based MHPSS, all of them staffed with Slovaks and Ukrainians. Our NS is also increasingly seen as the PFA training provider nationwide.

We have become member of the forementioned Committee on Psychosocial Support in MHPSS that operates under the Slovak Government Council on Mental Health. We have also participated in the first-ever national conference on mental health convened by WHO (Slovak Office) and NGO TENENET. It is envisaged that these conferences will continue on regular basis.

5. Han incidido los empeños contenidos en esta resolución en las comunidades a las que el Estado/la Sociedad Nacional/la institución presta servicios?

Describa las repercusiones:

The MHPSS programme at our NS emerged formally in response to the Ukraine crisis. Its development has been largely dependent on the engagement of target communities in needs identification and mapping, and design and delivery of activities. That gives them a sense of agency and ownership, as well as interconnectedness that has positive effect on both Ukrainian refugee and Slovak host community.