Discover our new policy brief: Policy Interventions to Improve Mental Healthcare for Syrian Refugee Children in Lebanon; by: Manoug Antaby

Abstract The mental health of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon is at significant risk due to ineffective response to the health needs of these vulnerable populations. This issue is primarily driven by social and cultural barriers, paralysis in the mental healthcare delivery, and poor refugee crisis governance mechanisms. Therefore, this paper outlines three tailored policy recommendations, based on context analysis of the main issue and interviews with 10 humanitarian workers, policymakers, and researchers. The policy strategies revolve around launching mental health campaigns to promote inclusive collaboration across key stakeholders, enhancing the outreach interventions targeting Syrian refugee children in key areas in Lebanon, and integrating the mental health services into the primary healthcare system to prioritize children as a primary target group.