Municipalities use initiatives to promote mental health in their regions. If an initiative has not yet been recognized, it is sometimes difficult to assess which of the initiatives being developed could be promising and effective and where support money can be spent. That is why the Trimbos Centre for Mental Health Expertise has developed a checklist for municipalities that helps with this. Municipal officials can, for example, complete this checklist together with a GGD advisor. The checklist does not provide an official opinion, but it helps with the choice. The first version is now available online.
Before completing the checklist, it is important to check what is already happening in the municipality and municipalities within the region and what are the most important parts of a successful initiative for the current situation. For example, is sustainable employability important for your municipality or should the initiative be linked to existing initiatives in the municipality? Or both? Using the checklist, it is possible to check whether the initiative meets these requirements.
Evaluation on various components
The checklist covers different components that can be important to assess whether an initiative is promising or effective. Such as whether it fits within existing initiatives, description of the mission, target group, objective and approach, and preconditions for implementation. It is useful to complete the checklist with a GGD consultant.
First version; may think along
This checklist is the first version and was created after discussions with the field. You can download it for free here: Checklist for Local Mental Health Policy Initiatives – Trimbos Institute
The checklist is still under development. Anyone with suggestions for improving the checklist can submit them via this form: Checklist – Local Mental Health Policy Initiatives (office.com)
