Dr. Karen McAuley:

We are glad the Deputy brought up the whole area of education. In terms of the work we did with the 25 people in the inpatient units at the time, at the outset we asked them about their journey through the mental health services but we did not ask them about anything other than the mental health services. What was very interesting was that, consistently, the young people included a focus in their comments on education, the importance of culture in schools and the professional and other supports, including peer supports, available in schools. In the area for ideas for improvement, they put a very strong emphasis on prevention in terms of work to promote well-being and good mental health, but also on supports being available at that level, informal and otherwise, to build young people's awareness and understanding of their own mental health, if they are experiencing difficulties, and to help them address those difficulties. It is a very important area to look at.