ReachNow
ReachNow is a community-based mental health needs detection tool developed by War Child to help identify children and adolescents aged 6–18 who may need mental health support and connect them with available services.
Why
Even when mental health services are available, many children and adolescents who need support still do not receive it.
There are many barriers to accessing care. Children may go without support because signs of psychological distress are not recognised or they are not referred to appropriate services. Caregivers and community members may lack the knowledge, training or tools to identify when a child is struggling or may not know what support is available or how to access it.
Stigma and negative perceptions around mental health can also prevent children and families from seeking help. Together, these barriers can mean that mental health needs remain unidentified and unaddressed.But improving access to mental health services is only part of the solution. Children and families also need the knowledge, confidence and accessible pathways to connect with the right support.
Making a positive impact
Where ReachNow is used
War Child works with local partners in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to provide children affected by conflict and displacement with integrated…
The latest conflict between Lebanon and Israel escalated in 2024 and the situation has been unstable ever since. Children and vulnerable communities…
Uganda hosts Africa’s largest refugee population and has one of the world’s youngest populations. While the country has made significant progress…
Russia’s war in Ukraine has become a protracted humanitarian crisis, leaving millions of children in urgent need of assistance. War Child works with…
Latest news from ReachNow
- Mental health and psychosocial support
A Single Piece of Paper Offers Hope for Mental Health of Conflict-Exposed Children
Just a single piece of paper could help bridge the mental health gap for children impacted by conflict. That’s one implication of the latest mental health study by War Child and local partner Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO Uganda).
- Education
- Mental health and psychosocial support
Meeting Urgent Needs of Kids and Families in War-Torn Ukraine: A Story of Hope and Healing
Since the war began in Ukraine in 2022, millions of children's lives have been upended. In response, War Child has partnered with the All-Ukrainian Foundation for Children's Rights and Montessori UA, supported by UN OCHA's Humanitarian Fund.
Three Years On: How War Child's support to Ukrainians continues amidst the chaos of war
Today, Monday 24 February 2025, marks three years since Russia’s deadly war in Ukraine began. To this day, the violence continues, with three million children still requiring urgent humanitarian aid.
- Mental health and psychosocial support
Play. Connect. Thrive: War Child, Supported by the LEGO Foundation, Launches New Initiative to Revolutionise Partnerships and Reach More Children Affected by Conflict
War Child is taking major steps forward with how it scales effective support for children in conflict thanks to a new iniaitiave supported by the LEGO Foundation and implemented in collaboration with Save the Children Nederland.
- Mental health and psychosocial support
War Child’s care system in practice: Integrating holistic mental health methodologies to support children in Sri Lanka
The mental health needs of children are deeply complex and multi-layered—especially in contexts like Sri Lanka, where many, particularly adolescent girls, live with the silent burden of emotional and psychological trauma. Countless children face abuse, neglect, loss, and isolation. Stigma, systemic failures, and a scarcity of accessible services leave emotional wounds unaddressed.
Often used in conjunction with
Supporting adolescent mental health
- Evidence based
- Mental health and psychosocial support
Play and movement-based psychosocial methodology
- Evidence based
- Mental health and psychosocial support
Whole-family psychosocial support
- Evidence informed
- Mental health and psychosocial support
