Debate contribution: Children’s Mental Health: Cross-departmental Cooperation

Debate contribution by Ms Sian Mulholland on 30 September 2024.

MLA

Ms Sian Mulholland

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

30 September 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Children’s Mental Health: Cross-departmental Cooperation

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4564151

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the proposer of the motion. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the matter. For me, it is unsurprising that, when we talk about mental health, we also have to talk about poverty. It plays a significant role in exacerbating the mental health challenges that we have discussed today. Around one in four children in Northern Ireland live in poverty, and those children are far more likely to experience anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. A recent survey found that children from low-income families are nearly twice as likely to suffer from those conditions than their more affluent peers, yet many families in those situations find mental health services completely inaccessible, perhaps because of physical transportation barriers. Another key point is the lack of ability to pay for further services once the initial health service provision period has ended. Unfortunately, that usually coincides with the young patient only starting to get to the crux of the issues that they face. We need to address the root causes of poverty, and that falls to other Departments. I believe that it was the Member for West Belfast, Ms Flynn, who mentioned in the earlier debate that different Departments all had a part to play, not just a single Department. I want to focus on something that I have been really passionate about raising since I became an MLA, which is the Children's Services Co-operation Act. It really has the power to enable public authorities to share resources, pool funds and collaborate across their silos, but, thus far, we have failed to leverage the legislative framework to its fullest potential. It is nearly a decade since the Act was passed, and our services have remained fragmented, with many Departments not taking full advantage of the Act's provisions. The recent Department of Education report on the Act was delayed by two years because of governmental disjointedness and there not being a Government here. That underscores the consequences of the failure. While there are occasional instances of great cooperation, like the Thrive project, which is coordinated by Barnardo's, they are far too rare. The reality is that Departments are not adequately aligning their resources or efforts. The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) and the Children's Law Centre have repeatedly voiced their concerns about a lack of meaningful progress in implementing the CSCA. We need a rights-based approach with the full incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into all areas of domestic law. That is something that Alliance has called for on multiple occasions. With those standards in place, young people will be more than just subjects; they will become co-designers of their communities and their services. Never has the phrase "Nothing about us without us" been more pertinent than when we discuss services for young people. The time for action is now, and I agree with the call on the Finance Minister to introduce the necessary regulations under the CSCA.

498 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:12 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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