Child and adolescent psychiatric care system in Austria

The foundation of the new specialist training schedule for child and adolescent psychiatry, which is part of the new regulation for post graduate medical training and is replacing the former additive specialization module (child and adolescent neuropsychiatry) is an important milestone in the history of the speciality. It will provide the opportunity to develop a high quality care system of child and adolescent psychiatry in Austria. Child and adolescent psychiatry is endowed with scientific concepts and evaluated treatment procedures and in the last years standards of education have been developed in cooperation with the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS). Standards for the care system in Austria were defined alongside with the Austrian Federal Institute for the Health Care System (OEBIG). Still it would be important to enlarge the academic basis of the speciality by establishing additional university departments at other locations in Austria. We describe the starting points and the standards for the development of the care system.