Supporting children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis: framework

Ministerial Foreword

I am very pleased to publish this document, which sets out our vision that every child and young person in Scotland will be able to access effective and appropriate support when they are experiencing a mental health crisis.

Whenever we have asked young people for their views, they have told us time and time again that they would be unsure who to turn to if they found themselves in crisis, or what supports would be available. They feel that there are gaps in support options, and when they do access support they feel rushed or not listened to^[1].

Work has been underway for a number of years at a national and local level, across a range of sectors and partners, to improve our mental health unscheduled care response. However, we recognise that more work needs to be done for our children and young people to ensure that they can access the right care, regardless of where or when they present in crisis.

Improving crisis support sits within a wider landscape of mental health support for children and young people. This includes access to counselling support and school nurses in our schools, community mental health and wellbeing support in our local communities, and specialist support provided by the NHS such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Ultimately, we want to support local partners to develop and deliver support options that work for their local populations. This is critical if we are to consistently provide children and young people in crisis with the support that they are asking for.

This Framework has been developed through collaboration with the Barriers and Access to Supports and Services Implementation Group which includes a wide range of partners, working across health boards, COSLA, social work, education, Suicide Prevention Scotland, Police Scotland, and third-sector organisations. It reflects the expertise of those working across a variety of sectors – from universal to specialist - who may be the first port of call for a child or young person experiencing a mental health crisis.

Over the coming months, we will continue to work closely with our partners to develop the detail of how we will implement the Framework. Through this, we will maintain a clear focus on building on existing examples of good practice, and supporting improvements to crisis support that can be achieved across all sectors in Scotland.

This will support our vision of ensuring that wherever a child or young person presents in crisis, they are always met with a compassionate response, and are supported to access the most appropriate help.

Tom Arthur MSP

Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing