‘Third of pupils in Wales suffer from mental ill-health’

ONE in three Welsh schoolchildren children have a mental health issue, a Welsh Assembly Committee has warned.

Tackling rising emotional and mental health issues among children and young people must be a national priority for the Welsh Government, the Children, Young People and Education Committee said.

In a statement, members of the committee said: “The committee believes the distress suffered by many children and young people could be reduced or even avoided by enabling them to draw on the right support at the right time, in schools and in primary care across Wales.”

As part of its inquiry into the emotional and mental health of children and young people in Wales, those working in the sector warned some young people were not getting the help they need and called for more emphasis on early intervention.

This includes calls for mental health to be embedded in Wales’ new curriculum and ensuring schools work with other services to reduce stigma associated with mental ill-health.

“The committee believes a major step-change is required if these issues are to be tackled,” members said.

The committee is calling on the Welsh Government to:

Provide adequate, ring-fenced resources for schools to become community hubs of support for emotional resilience and mental well-being;

Ensure emotional and mental health is embedded in the new curriculum; and

Ensure that everyone who cares, volunteers or works with children and young people is trained in emotional and mental health awareness to tackle stigma and promote good mental health.

The committee warned investment in specialist children and adolescent mental health services since 2014 did not go far enough and called on the Welsh Government to make “urgent improvements” including early intervention.

It warned: “The committee believes that failure to deliver preventative services will lead to demand for specialist services outstripping supply, threatening their sustainability and effectiveness.”

Committee chair Lynne Neagle AM said: “It is estimated that one in three children in every average-sized classroom will have a mental health issue. By the age of 14, half of all mental health problems will have already begun. To stem the flow, a major step-change is needed in the priority given to supporting the emotional resilience and wellbeing of children and young people in Wales.

“The time has come to put mind over matter and deliver appropriate, timely and effective emotional support for our children and young people. For that reason we make one important recommendation – preventative and early intervention support needs urgent attention and should be a stated national priority for the Welsh Government.

“Failure to deliver at this end of the pathway will lead to our children and young people suffering unnecessary distress.”