New £1m support for people with lockdown mental health issues
Relationships which have been put under strain as a result of the lockdown will be among the areas targeted for support in a new £1 million package of mental health package unveiled by the Scottish Government.
Autism support and young peoples’ services have also been included in the measures unveiled by health secretary Jeane Freeman and Principal Medical Officer Dr John Mitchell.
“While everyone is experiencing different challenges at this time, the mental health of children, young people and families can be put under great strain,” she said.
“We appreciate that spending a lot of time together in isolation and home-working, home-schooling and juggling childcare can be really tough.
“This crisis means many people are dealing with anxiety, fear, uncertainty, anger or sadness. They may feel overwhelmed and relationships can be placed under a lot of pressure.
“We want to ensure that the right help and support is in place for the mental wellbeing of our children, young people and families. This package of measures focuses on prevention and recovery, and on maintaining healthy relationships throughout the current restrictions. It follows the launch of our national campaign, Clear Your Head, last week.”
The support includes £768,000 for a relationships helpline to be delivered by The Spark counselling service. This currently provides counselling services to families across Scotland, including relationship and couples counselling and counselling for children and young people.
They currently operate a Relationship Helpline on a small scale for nine hours a week and this additional funding will enable the helpline to operate Monday-thursday 9am to 9pm and Friday 9am to 4pm. he number of the Relationship Helpline is 0808 802 2088
In addition, £105,000 will go to support Young Scot to develop enhanced digital content and resources on mental health. Scotland has launched a digital resource called Mind Yer Time specifically to help children and young people learn about the healthy use of screens and social media. It supports mental and physical health online and was developed by the Scottish Youth Parliament and Children’s Parliament.
There will also be £205,000 to support 47,000 autistic people across Scotland, including funding to increase capacity at the Scottish Autism Helpline and help for the National Autistic Society to keep people in touch during lockdown.