ISPCC Highlights the Need for Social Support to Help Protect Children’s Mental Health

The ISPCC launches its 3rd annual National Children’s Consultation report ‘Not bottled up inside’. This survey of over 14,000 young people highlights how a robust system of support can act as a buffer against stress leading to reduced feelings of anxiety and fear in young people

Key Recommendations:

• There is an urgent need to further develop and adequately resource community support services in order to equip families and communities to better support children’s emotional and mental health needs.
• Family Support projects, focussing on prevention and early intervention can help increase the cohesiveness of family and community support structures making it more likely that young people can draw on readily available supports, such as talking to families about problems, when needed.
• The dearth of support services for children aged 16 years plus needs to be addressed particularly in the area of child and adolescent mental health services. Young people in this age group have only a short window of opportunity to avail of an age appropriate support service before they move into adult services so it is vital that they receive the support they need at this critical period in their life.

If you would like further info please contact the ISPCC