Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I formally congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, on her new position. Knowing her work ethic and her compassion, I have no doubt that she will bring a very positive bearing on the areas of mental health and older people.

I want to talk about the provision of Jigsaw mental health services in Newbridge. The mental health of our young people has rarely been under the level of stress it is at present. Adolescence and young adulthood is a fraught time anyway, but the added burden of Covid-19 restrictions has disproportionately affected the 12 to 25 age cohort. Their education has been completely disrupted and along with it their support network and friendships within the school community. The leaving certificate class of 2020 had to contend with serious uncertainty for several months about their exams and CAO offers without any of the usual rites of passage associated with leaving school. Of course, those doing their leaving certificate in 2021 also have problems.

Third level students and those doing apprenticeships have also seen their lives completely changed and they live with continued uncertainty about the coming academic year. Part-time jobs have been lost and many young people face serious financial pressure combined with the great pressure they face from social media. The burden on the mental health of young people is immense. The need for services aimed at this age group is immense. With this in mind, for some time I have been calling for a branch of Jigsaw to be opened in Newbridge.I have been calling for this since well before the advent of Covid. I had the opportunity to bring the previous Minister of State with responsibility for mental health to Newbridge to visit one of our volunteer-led charities there, HOPE(D), which does incredible work with young people supporting them with their positive mental health. A number of years ago I spoke in the Dáil Chamber about the devastating impact of five young men who took their own lives within one month of each other in the town of Newbridge. It was absolutely shocking. I therefore do not raise this issue out of nowhere. Given all the issues we have at the moment, we absolutely need a branch of Jigsaw in Newbridge.

Jigsaw aims to create a more supportive environment for young people. It also provides online mental health supports for young people, their families and those around them. It provides a community-based, holistic approach and seeks to inform and support people and educate them about young people's mental health. Its services are accessible, visible, effective, inclusive and timely and they are very much needed in south Kildare, particularly around Newbridge.

HOPE(D) is a wonderful charity based in Newbridge. It does great work providing help to those aged 13 and upwards who are battling mental health problems. Of its clients, 25% are adolescents. It needs absolute assistance. It is losing the building from which it currently works and its future is uncertain.

Bringing Jigsaw to Newbridge would be a huge help to the area. We could look at a collaborative partnership approach between HOPE(D) and Jigsaw to give young people the assistance they need as they face into a difficult winter and a difficult year. I hope this can be brought to fruition in the near future.