EMBRACE pilots school mental health model for Romanian children

A Romania-based school mental health pilot has ended with a tested intervention model, new policy asks, and outreach to more than 38,000 people. The EMBRACE project now wants to turn its classroom program and child-led proposals into national policy.

Why it matters: - Romania’s child mental health system is under strain. - UNICEF Romania data cited in the project show 1 in 4 students is at risk of a mental health problem. - The same data show one in three students reports frequent anxiety. - UNICEF Romania also reports 1 in 4 students has thoughts or behaviors related to self-harm. - EMBRACE was designed to show how schools can deliver a scalable response in vulnerable communities.

What happened: - EMBRACE, short for Empower and Build Resilience at Children, ran from January 2025 to June 2026. - The project focused on Romania’s Northeast region and school-based emotional well-being support for children in vulnerable communities. - The project had a budget of €465,667.67. - The European Commission funded the work through the CERV-CHILD 2024 program. - Fundatia Serviciilor Sociale Bethany coordinated the consortium. - Fundatia de Sprijin Comunitar, Asociatia “Bună Ziua, Copii din România”, Federatia Organizatiilor Neguvernamentale pentru Copil, and Evolutionary Archetypes Consulting SL were consortium partners. - County School Inspectorates in Iași and Vaslui, CJRAE Iași and Vaslui, DGASPC Bacău, local authorities, and 10 pilot schools also supported the project.

The details: - EMBRACE developed and tested a five-module curriculum on physical health, cognitive well-being, emotional regulation, values and identity, and relationships and social integration. - The curriculum included 15 sessions tailored to three school levels: elementary ages 6–10, middle school ages 11–14, and high school ages 15–18. - 528 children completed all five modules across 10 schools in small urban and rural communities. - 374 parents joined emotional literacy sessions. - 140 professionals received training on children's mental health, well-being, resilience, and protection. - The project produced a toolkit with 45 mental health education lessons and more than 60 multimedia materials for all school ages. - Social media outreach and the #KnowEmotions campaign reached more than 38,000 people. - Students led well-being awareness campaigns in all 10 partner schools. - 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 Romania’s president, prime minister, minister of education and research, and minister of health. - The letter called for a three-year national school mental health plan with a dedicated budget, clear responsibilities, and measurable targets. - The letter also asked for four minimum measures this year: teacher training, access to counseling, a functioning anti-bullying procedure, and at least one mechanism for active child participation. - The children also called for an annual public report from the prime minister on actions, locations, and results. - The letter asked for ongoing child participation in policy monitoring and improvement. - 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 the nonprofit sector attended, along with central and local officials and young people. - The conference identified three systemic gaps: no integrated national strategy for children's emotional well-being, insufficient teacher preparation, and a school culture that does not treat emotional safety as a condition for learning.

Between the lines: - EMBRACE is presenting the pilot as a policy template, not a standalone program. - The project’s structure points to a cross-sector gap in Romania, where schools, social services, and health systems are not yet aligned around child emotional well-being. - The children's proposals suggest pressure for formal, measurable government action rather than one-off awareness campaigns. - Beatrice Darie, director of programs at Bethany Social Services Foundation, said the experience and solutions already exist in schools, organizations, and communities, but what is missing is a shared framework and institutional will to turn them into sustainable public policy.

What's next: - EMBRACE plans to use its recommendations to push the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, local authorities, and European partners toward institutional recognition, sustainable funding, child participation, and a cross-sector approach. - Project resources, including educational materials, guides, and tools for teachers, counselors, and parents, are available at the EMBRACE project site. - More information is available through the EMBRACE forum page. - The project’s social channels remain active on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and X.

The bottom line: - EMBRACE says Romania already has tested school-level tools for children’s emotional well-being. - The next test is whether policymakers will turn that pilot into national policy.