Supporting Children and Young People Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis - easy read version

Why this document is needed

Young people have told us there is a gap in crisis support. They are not happy with how services have listened and reacted when they asked for support when having a mental health crisis.

Young people from The Young Islanders Network told us they want better services, more training for adults in schools and in youth work. They want better crisis services across Scotland’s islands.

The network is a group of young people from the Scottish Islands who provided feedback to us.

Young people from the Suicide Prevention Youth Advisory Group told us they sometimes just want people to listen to them. They would like support in the community with people they can trust.

Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board listed 3 main issues with crisis support in Scotland:

1. There is a high need for services. Different levels of support are available in different parts of Scotland.

2. There needs to be a mix of digital and in-person support.

3. The whole system needs to change and get better.