Ms Suzanne Connolly:

This needs to be taken very seriously. Children and young people will have what we have called “feeling low”, which is one thing. Then there are very serious suicidal feelings. What is needed in the first instance is that children feel that they can talk exactly about how they are feeling and, exactly as Mr Holmes was saying, that they are not dismissed or told to just think positively, to do exercise and to have positive affirmations. If someone is seriously thinking about harming himself or herself, that is not going to help. What is needed then is a circle of support around that young person. One also needs to recognise the point at which one brings in particular specialist support that really offers concrete support and listens.

For some young people it could also relate to meaning and purpose. We know that things have been very difficult for young people during the pandemic. I, and all of us in Barnardos, worry about it. The first thing is to allow that range of feelings. People should not try to talk some young person out of it if they are feeling low and rather should ask, "How can we support you? What is useful for you? If you need a specialist mental health service, that is available." Then it is really necessary to monitor and support. For some young people it is not unusual to go through a phase of feeling low, but for some it is really serious. We should never oversimplify it.