Ms ?ine Lynch:

Yes, that has been shown to be the case. From our perspective, we are a very small organisation with limited resources but wherever we can, we do that. We might not have the ability to do so in all instances but we do large consultation pieces. As a result, we know that what we are developing is in response to what people are asking us to develop. Co-creation and co-delivery are really important. We do a programme where we bring parents in to meet student teachers, whether they are from the Travelling community or other communities, so that the teachers can see where parents are at. As much as we can, we provide that.

There is more to be done to involve parents and children in their mental health. These services work better in schools. One of the reasons for saying this is that it is the ideal place for schools, parents and children to be. We have to work much harder at the partnership between home and school. There is a large body of evidence from the last 30 or 40 years which shows that when schools are working better with families children do better. It is important we start making sure the structures are in place for families to work closely with schools. Mental health and education will come under that umbrella. As Ms McAlea stated, it is actually the relationships that exist in those situations. One cannot just do a one-off piece of work with parents. Relationships have to be built over time with parents and students. It is when a trusting relationship is there that things happen very positively around mental health and other education issues.