LTC Policy Recommendations for Europe

Read the policy recommendations here

Children’s mental health across Europe continues to be addressed too late and too unevenly, with support systems often responding only once difficulties have already escalated. Despite growing political attention, early prevention remains fragmented, under-resourced, and siloed across health, education, and social sectors. The policy recommendations, gathered by Mental Health Europe in collaboration with LTC partner organisations, addresses these structural gaps.

Building on evidence from the Let’s Talk about Children (LTC) project and experiences from multiple European countries, the recommendations aim to support a shift from crisis-driven responses to systemic, preventive, and child-centred approaches. They outline how national systems and EU-level frameworks can better work together to embed early mental health prevention, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and ensure sustainable implementation of evidence-based practices such as LTC.

The recommendations are intended for EU institutions, Member States, and stakeholders across sectors. Together, they provide concrete, actionable guidance to help translate political commitments on children’s mental health into coordinated action that supports children and families before challenging situations become crises.