Children and young people's participation: practice examples

Youth Commission on Mental Health Services

As part of the Scottish Government’s work to improve mental health support for children and young people in Scotland, a £95,000 investment was announced in December 2017 to establish a Youth Commission on Mental Health Services. This was delivered in partnership between the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH), Young Scot and the Scottish Government.

The commission was launched on 26 April 2018, bringing together 22 young people, aged 14 to 25, from across Scotland to conduct an in-depth 16-month investigation into children and young people’s mental health services in Scotland. The youth commissioners spoke to other young people, identified key issues, and engaged with policy makers, experts, and service providers to identify areas for improvement.

Throughout the 16 months of the commission the commissioners were guided by Young Scot’s co-design process, which includes the following steps: exploring, creating, reflecting, recommending and implementing. 

Their final report and recommendations were presented to Clare Haughey, Minister for Mental Health, in May 2019. The recommendations covered five key areas: services, education, community and public opinion, finance, policy and rights, and training.

Additionally, during the lifespan of the commission the youth commissioners co-chaired the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce with Dr Dame Denise Coia, to ensure that the voices of children and young people were at the centre of improvements to child and adolescent mental health services in Scotland.

The Scottish Government responded to the Youth Commission on 25 November 2019. Their response was also included in the Mental Health Strategy Second Progress Report (Appendix 4).