Diolch, Llywydd. From the beginning of our time as Welsh Youth Parliament Members, we have seen the importance and the significance of mental health in the lives of young people across Wales, with 36 per cent of the young people that responded to our very first survey naming emotional and mental health support as one of their main priorities. With the support of over two thirds of the Welsh Youth Parliament, we formed our emotional and mental health support committee after our first residential meeting, which includes 26 Members of the Welsh Youth Parliament from across Wales. Since establishing the committee, we as Members have engaged with young people, mental health charities, experts and politicians, with the aim of emphasising the need for better emotional and mental health support for young people in Wales.

Our residential meetings have given us opportunities to have discussions with some of the most influential people with regard to mental health in Wales, and have also allowed us to hear about the important work done by the Children, Young People and Education Committee to support young people's mental health. Additionally, these meetings provided us with space to engage in a question and answer session with young people to highlight the need for conversations surrounding mental health. We were then able to continue this discussion as we held our Let's Talk About Mental Health event during Welsh Youth Parliament Week, giving young people the opportunity to share their views on mental health provision in Wales. This information, alongside the results from our emotional and mental health support surveys, which were completed by over 1,400 young people across Wales, helped guide our regional and committee meetings. Across all four regions, key themes of stigma, training, preventative care and communication were highlighted, demonstrating the need for development and growth with regard to mental health in Wales. These themes then ultimately formed the foundations of our report and recommendations, which were published on 9 October 2020.

Split into two categories, one surrounding information and awareness and the other barriers to support, our committee's 'Let's Talk About Mental Health.' report echoes the opinions and concerns of young people across Wales. From improving the quality of information material to the offering of more and better anonymous support services, our recommendations acknowledge that every young person has a mental health. Whilst we believe that all of our recommendations are equally important with regard to bettering mental and emotional health in Wales for young people, there are some key recommendations that we would like to highlight as a committee.

Our fourth recommendation encapsulates the need for a one-stop shop of information, resources and support surrounding mental health. We as a committee are very pleased to hear of the Welsh Government's effort to develop this over the Hwb platform, as we believe it demonstrates an understanding of the importance of young people's mental health, particularly during this difficult time. Nonetheless, we would like to further emphasise the need for better promotion of this resource, ensuring that each and every child across Wales is not only aware of its existence, but feels comfortable in accessing the information.

We'd also like to highlight our sixth recommendation: the need for mental health to be taught consistently across Wales with greater frequency. The committee welcomes the opportunity for mental health education to come with the development of the new curriculum, however, we are concerned about how consistent the delivery will be. It is essential that young people across Wales have access to the same quality of mental health education, regardless of their location or background, and we must question, therefore, how one can ensure that this is the case under the new curriculum. Consistency must be at the heart of mental health education across Wales.

The final recommendation we would like to highlight is the need for an urgent review of child and adolescent mental health services and other mental health support services. Again, it is great to hear that the Welsh Government has already been working on this issue, giving £8 million extra each year to improve CAMHS services. However, we as a committee are calling for consistent reviews and updates of our mental health services here in Wales. It is essential that we do not become complacent. There is not one solution to bettering mental health services in Wales, and therefore, consistent analysis and reviews are really essential to help better mental health services for young people across Wales.

Every young person has mental health and it is essential that the policies of our future Government and Senedd reflect this. We must continue to pave the way for better emotional and mental health support for young people across Wales, and as a committee, we hope that the work of the next Welsh Youth Parliament, Members of the sixth Senedd and the new Welsh Government will prioritise this issue. Thank you.