Ministry of Education and 16 Other Departments Launch Initiative to Promote School-Family-Community Collaborative Mental Health Platform

Recently, seventeen departments, including the Ministry of Education, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and the Cyberspace Administration of China, jointly issued the “Special Action Plan for Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving Student Mental Health Work in the New Era (2023–2025)” (hereinafter referred to as the “Action Plan”). The plan explicitly proposes to “unblock channels for teacher development” and to “adopt multiple measures to strengthen mental health support for teachers, encouraging participation from social forces and professional medical institutions.”Action Plan for Enhancing Teachers’ Mental Health Education Capabilities: Leveraging the Home-School-Community Collaborative Psychological Care Platform，"Promote the development of learning resources and training on mental health education for teachers, enhancing their ability to identify and effectively address mental health issues."

 “Special Action Plan for Comprehensively Strengthening and Improving Student Mental Health Work in the New Era (2023–2025)”

With the rapid economic and social development, the growing environment for students is constantly changing. Coupled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health issues among students have become increasingly prominent. The Action Plan points out that promoting students’ physical and mental health and all-round development is a major issue of concern to the CPC Central Committee, the general public, and society at large. As one of the Key Work Points for Healthy China 2023, the Action Plan holds significant practical guiding importance for implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, carrying out China’s Education Modernization 2035 and the State Council’s Opinions on Implementing the Healthy China Initiative, comprehensively strengthening and improving student mental health work in the new era, and enhancing students’ mental health literacy.

Specifically, the continuous advancement of the “Initiative to Enhance Teachers’ Competencies in Mental Health Education” and the effective utilization of the “Home-School-Community Collaborative Psychological Care Platform” are key measures outlined in the Action Plan to strengthen teachers’ capabilities in mental health education and actively explore approaches to promote the healthy development of adolescents.

According to the website of the Ministry of Education,In June 2022, the launch ceremony for the Initiative to Enhance Teachers’ Mental Health Education Competencies and the “Home-School-Community Collaborative Psychological Care Platform” was held in Beijing.Relevant departments of the Ministry of Education, the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Chaoyang Experimental Education Group, as well as WeDoctor Group, Beijing Xinshu Matrix Technology Co., Ltd., China Health Media Group, China Traditional Chinese Medicine News, China Press of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Population Publishing House, and Student Health News participated in the launch ceremony.

 Action Plan for Enhancing Teachers’ Mental Health Education Competencies and Launch of the “Home-School-Community Collaborative Psychological Care Platform”

Under the guidance of the Department of Teacher Affairs, Ministry of Education, and serving as the online platform for the initiative to enhance teachers’ mental health education competencies,The Home-School-Community Collaborative Psychological Care Platform was jointly developed by WeDoctor Group, China’s largest digital healthcare platform, and Lvluo Xinshu, the country’s largest campus big data psychological services provider.Primarily targeting teachers, students, parents, and other groups, it provides services such as training in mental health education capabilities, guidance on mental health assessments, and compassionate free clinics. Users need only follow““Home-School-Community Collaborative Psychological Care Platform” WeChat Official Account or PC Loginlvluo.guahao.com”, you can select the service portal for teachers, parents, or students to register, log in, and use the relevant services.

Action Plan for Enhancing Teachers’ Competence in Mental Health EducationThe Action Plan for Enhancing Teachers’ Competence in Mental Health Education aims to leverage digital technologies and internet platforms to conduct training on mental health education for teachers, develop learning resources for mental health education, and build collaborative platforms involving schools, families, and communities for psychological care. These initiatives are designed to improve teachers’ competence in mental health education and elevate the overall standard of mental health education in schools. Implemented through a model featuring government advocacy, participation by social organizations, and joint promotion by schools, families, and institutions specializing in psychology and psychiatry, this action plan launches a series of activities that encourage societal attention and support for mental health education, thereby fostering the healthy physical and psychological development of adolescent students.

Wang Mian, President of Lvluo Xinshu, introduced that since the launch of its school-community collaborative mental health care platform, more than 400,000 teachers and students from Beijing’s Dongcheng District, Shanghai’s Jiading District, Hanzhong City in Shaanxi Province, Linfen City in Shanxi Province, Fuyang City in Anhui Province, Lushan City in Jiangxi Province, and Dazhou City in Sichuan Province have participated in platform usage, course learning, and psychological assessments. Mental health education professionals have given full affirmation to the platform’s service content and operational management.

During the same period, the Home-School-Community Collaborative Psychological Care Platform also offered a 30-hour training program and corresponding assessments for school administrators at all levels, moral education teachers, school psychologists, homeroom teachers, and other educational staff. The curriculum focused on five key themes: construction of school mental health defense systems, an overview of psychological issues among students and faculty, common psychiatric and psychological disorders in schools, identification, coping strategies, and crisis intervention for psychological disorders, and psychological adjustment and cultivation of positive mindsets for both teachers and students. Participating teachers responded positively to the platform’s course system, with feedback indicating significant improvements in their emotional management capabilities and their ability to assess students’ psychological conditions in subsequent work.

“The release of the Action Plan will help the home-school-community collaborative psychological care platform play a greater role in enhancing teachers’ mental health education capabilities and actively exploring ways to promote the healthy growth of adolescents,” said Zhang Songqi, Vice President of WeDoctor Group.