A report by the Children, Young People and Education Committee has found that “step change” is needed in emotional and mental health support or children and young people in Wales.
The report finds that support for the emotional and mental health of young people has been “too limited for too long”.
It is estimated that one-in-three children in every classroom will have a mental health issue. Indeed, by the age of 14, half of all mental health problems will have begun.
The committee makes one key recommendation: that the urgent challenge is at the ‘front end’ of the care pathway – emotional wellbeing, resilience and early intervention – and that the Welsh Government must make addressing it a stated national priority.
Commenting on the report, Shadow Education Secretary, Darren Millar, said:
“Support for children with mental health and wellbeing problems in Wales is wholly inadequate and we need urgent action to turn things around.
“It is clear that children aren’t getting the support they need in our schools and that waiting lists for access to assessments and therapies are leaving children and their families in limbo for months or even years while their health often deteriorates.
“With an increasing number of head teachers reporting that mental health is a growing problem in our schools, we need a radical plan.
“We need urgent action to embed support for children in our schools to build resilience and equip the education workforce to spot problems and help to tackle them.
“However, we also need to address the unacceptable waiting times for children with more serious mental health problems who need access to a psychologist.”