Ms Laura Keane:

I will answer the question about whether we as organisations on the ground feel we are facing a tsunami of mental health issues over the next number of months. We are seeing an increase in mental health difficulties for children and parents already so I would absolutely be concerned about that continuing. We see children who are finding it difficult to make and sustain friendships now that they have gone back to school because they have regressed in their social skills. They are struggling to play with friends in the schoolyard, they are lashing out more and getting into fights more. Children are more isolated and withdrawn. As Ms Connolly mentioned in her opening statement, some children are struggling to leave home at all, and sometimes struggling to leave their bedrooms, such is their level of anxiety and isolation. We are seeing children with increased regulation difficulties. They are struggling to sit still in class, they are more disruptive than they would have been and more aggressive in their behaviour. As Mr. Church mentioned, we are seeing a marked increase in children presenting with sometimes severe anxiety and indicators of depression as well. We are seeing increases in children self-harming and having suicidal ideation. We have seen already a significant increase in all of those things.

As regards parents' mental health, we are encountering parents with higher levels of stress who are struggling to cope with the daily challenges of parenting, bearing in mind they are supporting children who also have a higher level of need. Some parents are struggling to re-engage with society and supports themselves. We are absolutely seeing an increase in mental health challenges for children and parents and the concern is that is going to increase. One of the questions was how we are finding parents' engagement with the supports that a service like Barnardos can offer. We are actually seeing positive engagement from parents on the ground. As Ms Connolly said, what parents are telling us is that they want us to be there in the home, supporting them directly and supporting their children to get through these challenges and to help them develop their skills and insight to be able to mitigate the impact of Covid and support their children's development. Services like ours always have waiting lists. We could do much more than we are currently able to do if we were adequately resourced. That is what I am seeing on the ground.