Ms Carmel Walsh:

We have harm reduction information campaigns during Pride month because there are young people we cannot reach through our direct youth service, especially at national level. These campaigns are so informative and it is important to reach young people on their phones and where they are in their rooms. Something that comes up for us a lot is supporting parents and guardians. We set up a family support service last April and from April to December, we had over 450 direct engagements with families, parents, guardians and foster carers looking for support.

We also have a partnership with Pieta House, which looks at supporting LGBTQ+ young people at risk of suicidal ideation and self-harm. What comes back to us from this partnership is that for a lot of young people, their mental health has been affected by the mental health of their parents. We need a holistic approach to supporting young people, including supporting their parents and their communities and having safe spaces where they can go. It is about investment in the youth sector and having a holistic approach to supporting young people from all different areas in society because it affects all of their mental health.

According to our research on being LGBTQ+I in Ireland last year, 76% of young people from the ages of 14 to 18 have experienced self-harm or suicidal ideation. These are statistics we identified last year. It is really prevalent with regard to the mental health needs of young people, not just LGBTQ+ young people but young people in society. It is up to us to reflect the Young Ireland policy and strategies on this and focus on mental health but also to look at the LGBTQ+ inclusion strategy and how we can have a cross-departmental and supportive approach to this.