Policy framework

Portugal’s national framework for early detection and risk‑signposting for children and young people is led by the National Programme for Children and Youth Health (Programa Nacional de Saúde Infantil e Juvenil, PNSIJ) of the Directorate‑General of Health (Direção‑Geral da Saúde, DGS). The programme defines anticipatory care as a core public‑health function, integrating developmental screening, surveillance of emotional and behavioural risk, early identification of maltreatment and improved access to primary‑care services. It also updates the chronology of key paediatric appointments and uses WHO growth standards for clinical assessment. 

The National Mental Health Programme (Programa Nacional para a Saúde Mental), under the DGS, complements the PNSIJ through its National Suicide Prevention Plan (Plano Nacional de Prevenção do Suicídio), which specifies preventive measures for adolescents, including school‑based awareness, training of education professionals and risk‑signposting pathways for self‑harm or suicidal behaviour. 

Stakeholders

Early‑detection mechanisms involve integrated collaboration between primary‑care providers under Local Health Units (Unidades Locais de Saúde, ULS), school‑health teams, social‑protection services, Commissions for the Protection of Children and Young People (Comissões de Proteção de Crianças e Jovens, CPCJ), municipal authorities and education structures. The PNSIJ underlines the need for multi‑professional coordination, including home visitation for at‑risk families and shared monitoring of children requiring additional developmental or psychosocial support. 

Guidance to stakeholders

The Directorate‑General of Health (DGS) provides operational guidance to professionals through tools such as the Practical Guide on Child and Youth Maltreatment (Guia Prático de Maus‑Tratos em Crianças e Jovens) and sector‑specific protocols for detection, referral and follow‑up in cases of abuse, neglect, emotional harm or domestic violence. These instruments standardise definitions, clinical indicators and referral obligations across primary care, paediatrics, education, policing and social services. 

Further guidance is provided by the National Commission for the Promotion of the Rights and Protection of Children and Young People (Comissão Nacional de Promoção dos Direitos e Proteção das Crianças e Jovens, CNPDPCJ), including orientation documents for schools, social‑care providers, health professionals and security forces, reinforcing inter‑institutional coordination in high‑risk situations. 

Target groups

Priority groups identified under the PNSIJ include children and young people with special health‑care needs, developmental vulnerabilities, exposure to maltreatment, socioeconomic adversity or psychosocial risk. The Health Action for Children and Young People at Risk (Ação de Saúde para Crianças e Jovens em Risco, ASCJR) provides structured referral pathways across primary care and hospitals, and establishes the National Network of Support Centres for Children and Young People at Risk (Rede Nacional de Núcleos Ascjr) within the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde, SNS). 

The programme also integrates with the National Early Childhood Intervention System (Sistema Nacional de Intervenção Precoce na Infância, SNIPI), supporting families of children with disabilities or marked developmental risks through multidisciplinary community‑based teams. 

Funding

All measures under the PNSIJ, the National Mental Health Programme, ASCJR and related DGS initiatives are publicly funded through the Ministry of Health (Ministério da Saúde) within the National Health Service (SNS). Funding also supports training, monitoring tools, intersectoral coordination mechanisms and local implementation across ULS, public hospitals and community‑level structures.