Chamber and committees

We recognise the importance of children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, even more so during the Covid-19 outbreak. That is why we want to make sure anyone who needs support can get access to support which is appropriate to their needs.

Our Programme for Government this year has mental health at its heart. In response to the mental health impacts of Covid-19 we will publish a Transition and Recovery Plan in Autumn 2020. The plan has been developed in partnership with mental health stakeholders and informed by emerging evidence, including a variety of sources that explore the impact on children, young people and families. It will lay out a set of actions to support population mental health, respond to distress and renew mental health services.

Throughout the pandemic, we have taken action to ensure young people can access the right support for their mental health. This includes: the development of ‘Aye Feel’ by Young Scot which provides information about mental health and wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic and sign posts to further resources and support; the expansion of the Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) programme to those over the age of 16 and; the development of new community mental health and wellbeing services for 5-25 year olds and their families and carers.

We have also developed the Scottish Government’s ParentClub website, including specific content to support parents to effectively communicate and manage any anxiety that their children may be experiencing due to COVID-19. The ParentClub website includes a wide range of relevant information for families including supporting children’s (and parents’ and carers’) mental health and relationships as well as guidance and tips for learning and play at home. We also provided funding to make available an online resource for parents called Solihull Online. This interactive course supports positive relationships between parents and children and has modules for all ages from ante-natal to 18.

Understanding the mental health effects of this pandemic is crucial to supporting people to remain well and to provide specialist help for those who need it, now and into the future. We established a Mental Health Research Advisory Group to follow research developments to understand the medium and long term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health and will help us to put evidence-based services and support in place to help meet the mental health needs of the population.

Additionally, we are working with partners and stakeholders to understand the impact of COVID-19 on children and young people. Including the “#LockdownLowdown”, an online survey developed by children and young people, to help identify what support and information they need from the Scottish Government and other organisations.

We will continue to engage with children and young people during this difficult time and adapt our policies to reflect what the research, and the young people themselves, are telling us that they need.