Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Initial Monitoring Report and Monitoring Framework
The first monitoring report outlining progress towards Scotland’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy outcomes, supported by an accompanying monitoring framework.
Summary Outcome 4: Communities are better equipped to act as a source of support for people’s mental health and wellbeing, championing the eradication of stigma and discrimination and providing a range of opportunities to connect with others.
Summary Outcome 4 (SO4) of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy focuses on ensuring that communities are better equipped to support people’s mental health and wellbeing, reduce stigma and discrimination, and provide opportunities for social connection.
Communities play a central role in shaping and supporting people’s mental health and wellbeing (Dykxhoorn et al., 2022). To meaningfully assess progress towards this outcome, it is necessary to take a comprehensive view of community-level support. A narrow focus on a single element, such as informal support networks, risks overlooking the broader range of supports that determine how communities can promote and sustain good mental health [1].
Metrics for monitoring SO4 are grouped under three core components of the outcome:
- Communities are equipped to act as a source of support for people’s mental health and wellbeing
- Communities reduce stigma and discrimination
- Communities provide a range of opportunities to connect with others
Table 10 presents the specific metrics grouped under each component.
Table 10. Metrics for Monitoring Summary Outcome 4
|
Core Components |
Metrics |
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Communities are equipped to act as a source of support for people’s mental health and wellbeing
|
|
|
Communities reduce stigma and discrimination |
|
|
Communities provide a range of opportunities to connect with others
|
|
The following sections present each of these components and associated metrics in detail, offering insight into baseline measures and observed changes related to SO4.
1. Communities are equipped to act as a source of support for people’s mental health and wellbeing
The first component of Summary Outcome 4 focuses on how communities are equipped to act as a source of support for people’s mental health and wellbeing. There are six metrics used to monitor this component.
Number of community mental health and wellbeing funds awarded
The Scottish Government’s Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund supports local projects that promote mental wellbeing and aim to prevent or reduce mental ill health in adults (aged 16+), focusing on prevention and early intervention. The fund prioritises reducing mental health inequalities by supporting at-risk groups and addressing social isolation, suicide, and poverty. It also supports small grassroots community groups and organisations to deliver activities and create opportunities for connection. This fund directly contributes to Summary Outcome 4.
The 2023/24 Monitoring and Reporting Summary of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund provides details on the number of funded projects.
In 2023/24, 1,430 projects were funded across Scotland, compared to 1,458 projects in the baseline year of 2022/23.
Number of community mental health and wellbeing funded projects aimed at supporting at-risk population groups
The 2023/24 Monitoring and Reporting Summary of the Scottish Government’s Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund provides data on the number of community-based projects that supported at-risk groups. These at-risk groups were identified by the Fund as priority populations. TSI areas were asked to record up to three at-risk groups that were supported by each project
In 2023/24, the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund supported a wide range of projects aimed at improving mental health and wellbeing across different population groups. The most commonly supported groups were:
- People facing socio-economic disadvantage (554 projects)
- Families with a disabled family member (548 projects)
- People with a long-term health condition or disability (537 projects)
- Lone parents (511 projects)
Other commonly supported groups included older people aged 50 and above (427), people experiencing severe and multiple disadvantage (401), families with 3 children (386), people with diagnosed mental illness (363), minority ethnic families (316), mothers aged less than 25 (314), families where the youngest children are under 1 year old (312), and people affected by psychological trauma including adverse childhood experiences (280).
In comparison, the most commonly supported groups in year two (22/23) were people facing socio-economic disadvantage (684 projects), people with a long-term health condition or disability (548 projects), older people (479 projects), people with diagnosed mental illness (406 projects), and people disadvantaged by geographical location (particularly remote and rural areas) (277 projects).
Analysis of project returns shows that 56% of projects in year three (845 projects) supported people from at least one of the six priority at-risk family groups identified in the Best Start, Bright Futures: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022 to 2026. This compares to 24% of projects in 2022/23. The table below compares the percentage of projects that support people from the six priority at-risk family groups between year two and year three.
Table 11: Percentage of funded community mental health and wellbeing projects who supported people from at least one of the priority at-risk family groups, year two and year three
|
Priority at-risk group |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
|
Families with a disabled member |
18% |
38% |
|
Lone parents |
19% |
35% |
|
Families with three or more children |
15% |
27% |
|
Minority ethnic families |
14% |
22% |
|
Mothers under the age of 25 |
14% |
23% |
|
Families with children under age one |
13% |
23% |
Source: Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund
Number of children and young people accessing school-based and community mental health support
The Scottish Government collects data from local authorities on access to school counsellors and community-based mental health support for children, young people and their families. The latest report covers an interim nine-month period (July 2023 to March 2024), as reporting transitions from six-monthly to annual cycles aligned with the financial year. This change limits direct comparison with previous years.
Schools play a key role in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people within their communities.
Between July 2023 and March 2024, a total of 17,621 children and young people accessed school counselling services across reporting local authorities.
Data from local authorities for the interim nine-month period July 2023 to March 2024 show that 82,938 people used community-based supports and services, including 10,120 family members and carers.
- 78% of users accessed positive mental wellbeing services, which are generally preventative and may include self-guided or educational supports, such as digital cognitive behavioural therapy or wellbeing training.
- Of these service users, 24,425 (58%) reported an improved outcome. Among users of emotional distress services, 7,106 (58%) reported an improved outcome.
- For at-risk groups, 5,409 (71%) of positive mental wellbeing service users reported improvement, and 2,863 (52%) of emotional distress service users reported improvement.
Percentage of adults living in Scotland who do not use or pass through a public green, blue, or open space in their local area, by area deprivation and urban/rural classification
The Scottish Household Survey asks adults living in Scotland whether they use or pass through public green, blue, or open spaces in their local area. These community spaces are understood to be important for mental health and wellbeing (White et al, 2021).
In 2023, the percentage of adults reporting that they did not use or pass through a public green, blue, or open space in their local area varied across population groups:
- Urban/Rural: Non-use was highest in adults living in other urban areas (21%) and lowest in remote small towns (11%). In 2019, the pattern differed: remote small towns had the highest non-use (28%), while large urban areas, accessible small towns, and remote rural areas all had the lowest levels (20%).
- Deprivation: Adults living in the most deprived areas were most likely to report non-use (28%), compared with 11% in the least deprived areas. In 2019, non-use was similar in pattern, with 29% in the most deprived areas and 14% in the least deprived.
Percentage of people who feel safe walking alone after dark in their local area
The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey asks adults whether they felt safe walking alone after dark in their local areas. Perception of high neighbourhood safety has been associated with lower psychological distress and depression (Choi & Matz-Costa, 2018).
In 2023/24, 75% of adults across Scotland felt safe walking alone after dark in their local areas. This is a 1% decrease from 2021/22.
Percentage of adults living in Scotland who agree they could turn to someone in their neighbourhood for advice or support, by area of deprivation
The Scottish Household Survey asks adults living in Scotland whether they agree they can turn to someone in their neighbourhood for advice or support.
In 2024, 69% of adults living in the most deprived areas of Scotland said they could turn to someone in their neighbourhood for advice or support, compared to 76% living in the least deprived areas. Compared with 2022, this represents a decrease of five percentage points in the most deprived areas and eight percentage points in the least deprived areas; both decreases were statistically significant.
2. Communities reduce stigma and discrimination
The second component of Summary Outcome 4 focuses on the role communities play in reducing stigma and discrimination. However, as noted in Summary Outcome 2, there is a lack of routine data specifically measuring stigma and discrimination.
The Scottish Mental Illness Stigma Study (2022) highlights that people with mental health conditions can experience stigma and discrimination across various community areas, including relationships, housing, public spaces, mental healthcare services, and community groups. Despite this, no metric currently exists to regularly track this component.
3. Communities provide a range of opportunities to connect with others
The third component of SO4 outlines that communities provide a range of opportunities to connect with others. There are four metrics used to monitor this component.
Percentage of adults living in Scotland reporting welcoming neighbourhood spaces and opportunities for connection, by area of deprivation
The Scottish Household Survey asks adults living in Scotland whether their neighbourhood is a welcoming place for socialising and whether there are opportunities to meet new people.
In 2024, 49% of adults living in the most deprived areas said there are welcoming places and opportunities to meet new people in their neighbourhood, compared to 63% in the least deprived areas. Compared with 2022, this represents a statistically significant increase of six percentage points among adults living in the most deprived areas.
In 2024, 51% of adults living in the most deprived areas said their neighbourhood is a welcoming place where people can meet and socialise, compared to 67% in the least deprived areas. This represents an increase of 4 percentage points in the most deprived areas and 1 percentage point in the least deprived areas since 2022.
Percentage of adults living in Scotland reporting a strong sense of belonging in their community
The Scottish Household Survey asks adults living in Scotland whether they feel a very strong sense of belonging in their community.
In 2024, 25% of adults in the most deprived areas reported a very strong sense of belonging in their community, compared to 40% in the least deprived areas. Compared with 2022, this represents a statistically significant decrease of six percentage points among adults living in the most deprived areas.
Percentage of adults reporting feeling lonely, by area of deprivation and urban/rural classification
The SHeS asks adults how often they felt lonely in the past week.
Loneliness is closely linked to social connection and community engagement, with higher rates often reported in areas where participation, volunteering, and sense of belonging are lower (Leach, 2025).
In 2024, 7% of adults in Scotland said they felt lonely “all or almost all of the time/most of the time,” a statistically significant decrease of 4 percentage points from 11% in 2022.
- Area deprivation: In 2024, 13% of adults living in the most deprived areas reported frequent loneliness, down from 17% in 2022. Among adults living in the least deprived areas, the proportion was 5% in 2024, compared with 6% in 2022. Although the changes over time were not statistically significant, the disparity between the most and least deprived areas continued to be statistically significant.
- Urban–rural classification: In 2024, 7% of adults living in urban areas and 6% of those in rural areas reported feeling lonely. This represents a decrease from 11% in urban areas and 9% in rural areas in 2022, with the reduction in urban areas being statistically significant.
Number of funded community mental health and wellbeing projects addressing social isolation and loneliness
The 2023/24 Monitoring and Reporting Summary of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund provides details on key areas that the projects support. The Fund supports projects that focus on prevention and early intervention, including themes such as suicide prevention, social isolation, and poverty.
In Year 3 (2023/24), 1,240 projects focused on social isolation and loneliness, making this the most commonly funded theme. This was similar to Year 2 (2022/23), when 1,239 projects focused on this theme.
Reflections on Summary Outcome 4
Summary Outcome 4 focuses on communities being equipped to support mental health and wellbeing, reduce stigma and discrimination, and provide opportunities for social connection. Most available data is from 2023, with some early indications from 2024, providing a baseline for monitoring future progress.
Data suggests that communities continue to play an important role in supporting mental health and wellbeing. Investment through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund shows wide coverage and a broad range of activities, with increasing support directed toward families experiencing disadvantage or complex needs. School counselling and community-based services also highlight how local areas provide early and preventative support for children, young people and families. Perceptions of neighbourhood support, such as feeling able to turn to someone for advice, have decreased since 2022, and inequalities between more and less deprived areas persist.
Findings on community safety, green and blue space use, and neighbourhood trust show mixed patterns, with some indicators stable and others reflecting longstanding inequalities. Opportunities for social connection also vary across communities. Adults in more deprived areas consistently reported fewer welcoming neighbourhood spaces. Some inequalities have narrowed since 2022, although others, including sense of belonging, have widened. Loneliness remains more prevalent in deprived areas, though overall levels have improved, including a statistically significant reduction among those living in urban areas. Sense of belonging has decreased in the most deprived areas, widening the inequality gap.
Data gaps
There is one overarching data gap that limits the ability to fully monitor SO4.
- Stigma and Discrimination: Gaps remain in understanding whether communities are reducing stigma and discrimination related to mental health.
Footnotes
[1] While metrics related to primary healthcare (such as GP) are crucial to supporting mental health in communities, they have been excluded from this outcome as they are more appropriately addressed under other outcomes in the Strategy that focus on access to mental health support and services.