BEIJING, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- China will place greater emphasis on the mental health of children in difficult circumstances over the next five years, a senior official said Wednesday.
Hu Haifeng, vice minister of civil affairs, said authorities would seek to put in place a sound early detection and intervention system to better protect children at risk of mental health problems within three years.
During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), civil affairs authorities will strengthen mental health care services for children in difficult circumstances, while also protecting their safety and legal rights and ensuring adequate livelihoods, Hu noted.
He added that the Ministry of Civil Affairs, in coordination with relevant departments, has formulated and issued guidelines for identifying and assessing the mental health status of children in difficult circumstances.
The new focus on mental health comes alongside broader efforts to strengthen welfare support for children in difficult circumstances.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), monthly basic livelihood support standards for orphans and children without effective parental care rose by more than 26 percent from the end of the previous five-year period.
The monthly basic livelihood support standards reached 2,069.9 yuan (around 300 U.S. dollars) for orphans in institutional care, 1,606.8 yuan for orphans living outside institutional care, and 1,593.4 yuan for children without effective parental care, Hu said.
From 2021 to 2025, civil affairs departments provided regular basic livelihood support to about 570,000 orphans and children without effective parental care nationwide.
Child welfare is a key part of China's civil affairs agenda. In 2025, the General Office of the State Council issued guidelines on further strengthening welfare protection for children in difficult circumstances.
The guidelines call for improving support in areas, including basic livelihoods, healthcare, education, mental health, personal safety and guardianship.
Beyond strengthening existing programs, new services, including care programs for children with autism and assessments of family guardianship arrangements, will be established with stepped-up efforts, Hu said.
He also highlighted the primary-level role in child protection. China currently has about 42,000 "child supervisors" at the township and subdistrict levels and 550,000 "child directors" and workers at the village and community levels.
Hu described them as "strong guardians" of children in difficult circumstances and said their training would be expanded to include mental health screening, safety risk assessments, mandatory reporting and home visits as required components, strengthening their ability to identify and respond to risks facing children. ■
