Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on youth mental health. It is an issue we need to focus on because I believe we are at a turning point. With the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, young people will finally be able to socialise and experience their teenage years after a long and tough two years. We must bear in mind the many young people on whom Covid has had a very negative effect.

This will be especially hard for those who have not socialised at all in the two years. It must be remembered that many families stuck rigidly to the rules. Their kids were looking out windows when they should have been out meeting friends and playing. Some of these teenagers and young people have not had an opportunity to make close friends while some have lost friends because of the Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns. Young people who are not involved with sports or clubs or who have not built strong bonds with their peers will really struggle in the coming months and years. The return to normality is going to be extremely difficult for these young people. There are young people who have missed a very significant portion of their teenage lives. They have missed out on really important formative experiences that other people have had. It is really important that we now invest in youth mental health services. I listened really carefully to the points the Minister of State made earlier. I hope everything she said will be delivered upon but, at the moment, parents do not believe in or have faith in the system. Anyone who is in the system at the moment will have no trust in the Government or the HSE to deliver because of the waiting lists, the backlogs and having been let down. We need to deliver because we need to let people know that young people will be listened to and supported.

Outside of mental health services, we need to support community groups and youth workers, who do phenomenal work in reaching out to young people. I am looking for more investment not only in mental health services, but in youth services more generally so that young people can get the supports they need. Some people now have huge gaps in their teenage years which, unfortunately, will affect them for their whole lives. The least we can do is to support young people at this really difficult time. I know there is a lot of need out there but I ask the Minister of State and the Government to focus resources and funding on this area.

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