Mental Health Problems in Young People

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:10 pm on 9 October 2018.

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Photo of Leanne Wood Leanne Wood Plaid Cymru 2:10, 9 October 2018

This is not the first time I've raised this subject with you, but after the recent Panaroma programme on mental health provision for young people, I was inundated with messages from parents in the Rhondda who feel that their children and teenagers have been let down by the system. The programme certainly touched a nerve, First Minister.

One thing that could help is for school counselling services to be improved. Now, it's a statutory requirement for secondary schools in Wales to have an in-house counsellor, but provision remains patchy, according to the Children's Society. They say that some schools provide an excellent service while some schools provide no counselling services at all. This is an area under your control, First Minister. Many children and teenagers are being failed by the health service primarily, but also they're being failed within the education system as well. So, will you commit to evaluating the service to make sure that there is a high-quality service and that it is good and consistently provided for all secondary school pupils right throughout the country?