Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:11 pm on 20 May 2020.
I was very pleased to hear the First Minister referring, again, in his statement, to children and young people. The impact of this pandemic on children and young people is immense, and I believe it will be very long standing.
I very much welcome the announcement on Monday of the £3.75 million extra funding for children's mental health, and particularly the recognition by the education Minister that, for younger children, traditional counselling is not necessarily an appropriate approach, and that the Government will work with providers to deliver services in line with the reforms that are already being taken forward.
Can I ask whether the First Minister agrees with me that in spending that money, it is absolutely crucial that we build on the whole-school approach reforms and the wider system-wide reforms set out in the committee's 'Mind over matter' report? And would the First Minister agree with me that as we come through this pandemic, our 'Mind over matter' recommendations across Government will be more important than ever before? Thank you.