Let’s Talk about Children is a short evidence-based child-centred psychosocial intervention to promote the mental health of children and prevent the intergenerational transmission of problems by identifying strengths, resources and everyday solutions for children, parents, teachers, and the network of families.
In the three‑year EU4Health‑funded project the Let’s Talk about Children method was implemented as part of the service systems in seven European countries. During the project, the method was successfully embedded into the service systems of Italy, Portugal, Estonia, Romania, Greece, Poland and the Czech Republic by training local method specialists and trainers.
During the project, a total of 80 trainers and 1,400 practitioners were trained to use the method, and it has been offered to 2,900 families in the above mentioned countries. At the same time the LTC work continued in Finland with the training of 60 trainers, 3920 practitioners and by offering the method to 7840 families. The project concluded in January 2026, but the implementation work continues in the project countries in accordance with the sustainability plans that were developed.
Method
The LTC project is grounded on the Finnish, research and evidence-based “Lapset puheeksi” method which aims to support children, young people and families in their everyday lives at home, in early childhood education, maternity and child health clinics, schools and leisure-time environments. The method promotes a child-centred approach in which the child, young person and family are at the core and define the strengths and areas for change in their daily lives.
The method is built around a structured conversation and can be used from pregnancy up to the age of 18. It is applied across a wide range of social and health services, schools, early childhood education settings, NGOs, reception centres and the criminal sanctions field. In Finland, the method is coordinated by MIELI Mental Health Finland.
Read more
About the project and its partners
About the LTC method
Team members
Emmi Riihiranta-Laine
Project specialist, INVEST Flagship, University of Turku
Miia Äänismaa
Project specialist, INVEST Flagship, University of Turku
Noora Deckers
Project coordinator, University of Turku
Helka Oksanen
Project worker, INVEST Flagship, University of Turku