Plans put in place as 'too many' Jersey children struggling with mental health

The government has released its Mental Health Strategy after all services saw an increase in users during lockdown. Credit: Government of Jersey

Plans have been published outlining how Jersey's government will tackle the increasing number of children being referred to mental health services.

Both the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and the Youth Enquiry Service (YES) have seen more young people throughout the pandemic.

In addition, more than 400 13 to 25-year-olds have signed up to online counselling and support via Kooth.com, since its launch in December.

The Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy, released today (10 May) to mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, has had input from children, young people, parents, carers, and professionals. It sets out 16 key actions under four overarching themes:

  • ‘Everybody promotes good wellbeing and mental health, by thinking about mental health in the same way to physical health and making it as easy as possible to get help early without feeling embarrassed or awkward’: The government says this is key to ensuring the right conditions are put in place to support children and young people to stay mentally well throughout their lives.

  • 'It’s easy for you to find out who can help and what support is available’: This aims to help de-stigmatise access to mental health services.

  • ‘You get the right help and support, at the right time and in the right place’: This covers a range of service improvements that ensures better access to support when it is needed, putting the child, young person and family’s needs right at the centre.

  • ‘We listen to you about what helps, and this helps us to improve the quality of our services’: This ensures children, young people and their families are listened to and engaged with.

Islanders are also being encouraged to complete an online survey on the issue here.