Youth mental health in Georgia
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Youth mental health in Georgia

YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH IN GEORGIA

Orygen Global was invited to support UNICEF Georgia in strengthening Georgia’s approach to youth mental health system reform. The collaboration began with a synthesis of international evidence and best practice, providing an overview of how youth mental health systems are being designed and implemented globally. This was followed by a review of the current state of youth mental health care in Georgia, drawing on existing service mapping, policy frameworks and available data. 

Building on these foundations, Orygen Global developed a draft model of care, which was then refined through an iterative development process. The model was presented to an extensive national stakeholder group, including technical leads across health, social care and education sectors, as well as representatives from government ministries and UNICEF. Feedback from these consultations informed successive revisions, resulting in a contextually grounded framework. 

Central to the model are principles of early intervention, accessibility, youth participation, family engagement and continuity of care. 

The model has been finalised, with UNICEF Georgia leading its development into an implementation strategy, supported by Orygen Global in an advisory capacity. The partnership also aims to disseminate learning internationally through knowledge-sharing outputs. This work also reflects Orygen Global’s capacity to support partners in designing youth mental health systems that are both evidence-based and locally relevant. 

The model sets out a developmentally informed, youth-centred system for individuals aged 0–24, addressing long-standing challenges between child and adult services. It is structured around a staged and stepped-care framework, enabling young people to access the least intensive, most appropriate support with the flexibility to move across levels of care as their needs evolve. 

The model comprises the following four interconnected components:

  • Community-based promotion and prevention
  • Low-intensity early intervention delivered through primary care and community platforms
  • Specialist multidisciplinary services for more complex presentations
  • Recovery and reintegration supports focused on functional outcomes and sustained engagement in education, employment and community life