Children and young people are vulnerable to developing mental health problems. In South Africa, this vulnerability is compounded by contextual risk factors such as community violence and poverty. However, mental health services are scarce and costly, which precludes access for many. Universal school-based mental health programmes can prevent the onset of mental health problems in children and young people and have been implemented to good effect in high-income settings. We sought to understand stakeholder perspectives on what such a programme should focus on and how it could be implemented in practice within the South African context. We interviewed children and young people (n = 22), parents (n = 21), teachers (n = 17), and school mental health counsellors (n = 6) recruited from two schools in the Western Cape, South Africa. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. We generated three overarching themes: ‘the value of a mental health and well-being programme’, ‘content and delivery’, and ‘practicalities and logistics’. Participants were optimistic about the potential value of such a programme. Developing content that was appropriate for group delivery, flexible and timed to fit within the school schedule was important. Finding ways to make activities meaningful for large classes was important logistically, as was determining to what extent leaners would feel comfortable participating alongside their peers. Participants felt that outsiders, as opposed to school staff, should deliver the programme and that parents should be involved where possible. Developing a mental health programme for children and young people in the South African context requires careful understanding of who the key role players in such an intervention will be and how exactly they want to be involved and, how the challenges associated with practicalities and logistics can be overcome.

儿童和青少年容易出现心理健康问题。在南非，社区暴力和贫困等环境风险因素加剧了这种脆弱性。然而，精神卫生服务稀缺且昂贵，这使许多人无法获得服务。以学校为基础的普遍心理健康计划可以预防儿童和青少年出现心理健康问题，并已在高收入环境中实施并取得良好效果。我们试图了解利益相关者对此类计划应重点关注的内容以及如何在南非范围内的实践中实施的看法。我们采访了儿童和青少年（n  = 22）、父母（n  = 21）、教师（n  = 17）和学校心理健康顾问（n = 6) 从南非西开普省的两所学校招募。采访被录音、逐字转录和主题分析。我们提出了三个总体主题：“心理健康和福祉计划的价值”、“内容和交付”以及“实用性和物流”。参与者对此类计划的潜在价值持乐观态度。开发适合集体授课、灵活且适时以适应学校时间表的内容非常重要。找到让活动对大班有意义的方法在后勤方面很重要，就像确定学习者在多大程度上愿意与同龄人一起参与一样。参与者认为，与学校工作人员相反，外人应该提供该计划，并且父母应该尽可能参与。