Young people’s mental health must be a priority for MSPs

As a coalition of leading providers of care and support to vulnerable children and young people, we congratulate all MSPs on their election and welcome the consensus there is between the major political parties to tackle the growing mental health crisis in our young people.

We have for some time raised concerns over a potential lost generation of vulnerable children and young people, whose mental health is being impacted even further by the Covid-19 pandemic. There have been dramatically increased waiting times for mental health treatment during lockdown.

In December 2020, for example, 14 per cent of children and young people had been waiting more than a year for specialist treatment, compared with 5.4 per cent in 2019, a truly frightening statistic.

A commitment by MSPs to focus on mental health, increasing investment, must be a priority, giving our young people care and support when they need it.

The frightening statistics on the deteriorating mental health of young people presents a compelling case for a radical new plan for struggling mental health services and to address what is a mental health pandemic.

This is a crisis we can overcome, but it will require a similar energy and commitment to that demonstrated for Covid-19 to achieve this and prevent many young people giving up on their futures.

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition: Kenny Graham, Falkland House School; Lynn Bell, LOVE Learning; Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius; Niall Kelly, Young Foundations.