James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My question is on the Minister's plans to review mental health guidelines and supports in schools. The Minister will be aware that there is a very real, justifiable concern about the evidence that this Government as a whole is not prioritising children, whether record levels of homelessness, appalling waiting lists for hospital appointments, over 6,000 children waiting for primary care psychology appointments, with at least one county now refusing emergency appointments, and a similar situation prevailing in child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, all which add to mental health pressures on young people. As a result of the lack of supports external to schools, increasingly, school principals and teachers find that they are on the front line of young people's mental health issues. This is at a time when children as young as four, five and six are presenting with anxiety, stress, depression and other mental health stresses not seen in previous generations at such a young age. Social media is no doubt playing a huge part of this. They are becoming aware and exposed to psychologically damaging information at a shockingly young age. My fundamental question is what specifically the Minister will do to help with these young people and their mental health situations in schools.

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