EMBRACE turns school mental health pilot into policy model

A Romania-based EU-backed project says it has tested a scalable school intervention for children’s emotional well-being across 10 pilot schools in Iași, Bacău and Vaslui. EMBRACE is now pushing for national policy changes, including a three-year child mental health plan, teacher training and stronger child participation.

Why it matters: - UNICEF Romania says 1 in 4 students is at risk of a mental health problem, one-third report frequent anxiety and 1 in 4 have thoughts or behaviors of self-harm. - EMBRACE was built to respond to that gap with a school-based model that can be scaled in vulnerable communities. - The project targets emotional well-being as a learning and child-protection issue, not only a health issue.

What happened: - EMBRACE ran from January 2025 to June 2026. - The project had a budget of €465,667.67. - The European Commission funded the work through CERV-CHILD 2024. - Fundația Serviciilor Sociale Bethany coordinated the consortium. - Partners included Fundația de Sprijin Comunitar Bacău, Asociația „Bună Ziua, Copii din România,” FONPC - Federația Organizațiilor Neguvernamentale pentru Copil and Evolutionary Archetypes SL in Spain. - Associate partners included ISJ Iași and Vaslui, CJRAE Iași and Vaslui, DGASPC Bacău, local authorities in pilot communities and 10 pilot schools in Iași, Bacău and Vaslui. - The project tested a structured curriculum built around five modules on physical health, cognitive well-being, emotion management, values and identity, and relationships and social integration. - Each module included 15 sessions adapted for primary school children ages 6-10, middle school students ages 11-14 and high school students ages 15-18.

The details: - 500 children completed the five-module program across 10 schools in small urban and rural communities. - 300 parents took part in emotional literacy sessions. - 140 specialists received training on children’s mental health, well-being, resilience and child protection. - The EMBRACE toolkit includes 45 mental health education lessons and more than 60 multimedia materials for all school ages. - Social media tools and the #DESCOPERĂEMOȚIILE online campaign reached more than 38,000 people. - Children led awareness campaigns on well-being in all 10 partner schools. - The project also produced resources for teachers, counselors and parents that are available at More information.

Between the lines: - The project frames child emotional well-being as a systems problem, with schools, health services, child protection and local authorities all needing to work together. - The emphasis on a testable curriculum, training and a toolkit suggests EMBRACE is designed for replication, not just local impact. - The policy push reflects a broader argument: Romania already has solutions in practice, but not yet a shared institutional framework to connect them. - Beatrice Darie, director of programs at Fundația Serviciilor Sociale Bethany, said the project showed that experience and solutions already exist in schools, organizations and communities, but need a common framework and institutional will to become sustainable public policy.

What happened: - The EMBRACE Children and Youth Forum took place in Bucharest on Oct. 17-18, 2025. - More than 130 children and young people from Iași, Bârlad, Bacău, Brașov, Petroșani and Bucharest took part. - The forum ended with an open letter to the president, prime minister, education minister and health minister. - The letter asked for a three-year national plan for children’s mental health in schools with a budget, clear responsibilities and measurable targets. - The letter also called for four guaranteed minimum measures in the current year: teacher training, access to counseling, a functional anti-bullying procedure and at least one form of active child participation. - The children asked for annual public reporting from the prime minister on what was done, where and with what results. - The forum also called for children to help monitor and improve policy, not only receive services. - The EMBRACE Regional Conference took place in Iași on May 14, 2026, at Hotel Unirea. - More than 100 specialists from education, mental health, child protection, academia and NGOs joined the discussions, along with central and local authorities and young people. - The conference identified three major system gaps: no integrated national strategy for emotional well-being, insufficient teacher preparation for frontline support and a school culture that does not treat emotional safety as a condition for learning. - Young participants delivered the day’s strongest message: “Vrem să fim nu doar auziți, ci și ascultați.”

What's next: - EMBRACE is positioning its findings and recommendations as a policy package for the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, local authorities and European partners. - The proposal centers on four priorities: institutional recognition, sustainable funding, child participation and an intersectoral approach. - The project’s resources remain available online for schools and families.