Tag: mental health

Dedicated counselling service for all secondary school pupils

Professional counselling services will be available to all secondary school pupils who require it by September next year.

Agreement has been reached between the Scottish Government and COSLA on the detailed allocation of £60 million over four years. This funding will build or expand high quality counselling services for children and young people.

Counselling services currently delivered by qualified and registered counsellors through Pupil Equity or Scottish Attainment funding will continue, enabling local authorities to reallocate those funds to other priorities to help close the attainment gap.

School counsellors help support young people’s emotional, behavioural and mental health. Importantly, pupils will also have access to counsellors during school holidays, providing vital continuity of care.

Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey said: “Children and young people can face many issues growing up and must have the right support available at the right time.

“Providing every secondary school with access to at least one counsellor by next year is a significant step forward in our package of measures to improve the mental health support available for children and young people.”

Commenting on the announcement, a spokesperson for the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition said: “This is very welcome news and is a vital step in improving the mental health of our children and young people through early intervention.

“School counsellors help support young people’s emotional, behavioural and mental health. Importantly, pupils will also have access to counsellors during school holidays, providing vital continuity of care.

“It has been estimated that the cost of five sessions of counselling is equivalent  to just one contact with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

“Therefore, investing a fraction of the mental health budget on school-based counselling services helps to keep the individual in school and avoid an unneccesary and often stigmatising mental health diagnoses, as well as reducing the burden on stretched and costly CAMHS provision.”

 

 

MSPs call for improved mental health provision in secure care and young offenders’ facilities

MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee are calling for better mental health support for young people ordered into either secure care or a young offenders’ institution (YOI).

The Committee is calling for assessments of a young person’s needs to be made within the first days of their incarceration, and consistent, high-quality physical, educational and mental health support to be provided thereafter. Continue reading MSPs call for improved mental health provision in secure care and young offenders’ facilities

Scottish midwives call for more perinatal mental health training

New survey shows midwives struggle to get training needed

Scottish midwives are asking for more specialist training around perinatal mental health (PMH) so they can support pregnant women and new mothers better. Continue reading Scottish midwives call for more perinatal mental health training

Concern over record use of compulsory mental health treatment

A new report shows 6,038 new episodes of compulsory treatment using the Mental Health Act in Scotland last year – the highest figure since the Act came into force in 2003.

The new data, published by the Mental Welfare Commission, also shows rising figures for young people aged under 25 being given compulsory treatment.

The rates at which detention was used varied considerably across Scotland. Continue reading Concern over record use of compulsory mental health treatment

Briggs welcomes £3 million investment into CAHMS staff recruitment

Scottish Conserative health spokesman Miles Briggs MSP has welcomed the news that NHS Lothian are investing £3million into the recruitment of Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services staff. Continue reading Briggs welcomes £3 million investment into CAHMS staff recruitment

Doors Open Day at Redhall Walled Garden

SAMH Redhall Walled Garden will be open as part of the Doors Open event on Saturday 28th September (10am – 4pm).   

  • Free Entry
  • Plant sales
  • Historic garden
  • Guided tour (starts 1pm) – find out about the history of the garden and its current use as a mental health service.
  • Light refreshments (please note we will not be running our normal open day café).

Redhall Walled Garden

97 Lanark Road

Edinburgh EH14 2LZ

0131 443 0946

The garden is open to the public

Monday- Friday 9am – 4pm

Waiting time figures highlight need for urgent action to tackle child mental health crisis

  • The NHS in Scotland failed to meet a maximum 18-week waiting time target for children and young people to receive treatment from mental health services
  • More than 3 in 10 are waiting more than 18-weeks for treatment.
  • 12 out of 14 health boards failed to meet the 18-week waiting time target:
    • NHS Fife, NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Lothian, NHS Tayside, NHS Borders, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Orkney, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley, NHS Shetland and NHS Forth Valley
  • 151 children and young people waited more than a year prior to being seen for treatment, three times that for the same quarter of last year.
  • More than one in five referrals for treatment are rejected.
  • Figures show only 0.53 per cent of NHS expenditure is spent on CAMHS, less than 7 per cent of the mental health budget.
  • Coalition calls for fundamental rethink and renewed focus on prevention and early intervention, including embedding mental health within education.

Continue reading Waiting time figures highlight need for urgent action to tackle child mental health crisis