Commissioner cries amid warning mental health support now at risk

Northern Ireland’s Children’s Commissioner wept as she expressed concern that mental health services for young people are in jeopardy due to the latest Stormont crisis.
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Feb 2022, 07:40 BST
Screengrab of NI’s Children’s Commissioner Koulla Yiasouma becoming emotional after being asked to outline the consequences of the Stormont crisis on mental health treatment services for children and young people.Screengrab of NI’s Children’s Commissioner Koulla Yiasouma becoming emotional after being asked to outline the consequences of the Stormont crisis on mental health treatment services for children and young people.
Screengrab of NI’s Children’s Commissioner Koulla Yiasouma becoming emotional after being asked to outline the consequences of the Stormont crisis on mental health treatment services for children and young people.

Koulla Yiasouma became emotional as she gave evidence to a joint sitting of the Assembly’s health and education committees on children’s mental health and wellbeing.

Apologising to MLAs for crying, Ms Yiasouma said it was “very worrying” that increased funding to improve mental health services was at risk due to the likelihood that a three-year budget will not now be signed off by Stormont ministers ahead of the election.

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She warned that progress on the Executive’s mental health strategy would also be undermined by the absence of a properly functioning administration.

Earlier in the hearing, which came during Children’s Mental Health Week, the commissioner had highlighted worrying increases in the number of young people requiring support through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

She highlighted a spike in young people with acute mental health problems attending emergency departments, with CAMHS referrals from A&Es having increased by 24% in the last year.

The commissioner said funding for CAMHS was due to increase from £2.5 million in 2022/23 to £7 million in 2024/25, but added that was dependent on the Executive agreeing a three-year budget.

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A budget cannot be agreed by the administration in the current absence of a first and deputy first minister.

Ms Yiasouma became emotional when Sinn Fein MLA Nicola Brogan asked her what impact the lack of budget would have on children’s mental health.

“I’m sorry, I’m finding myself getting quite emotional thinking about it, sorry,” she said.

“I am a woman of a certain age so I cry at the drop of a hat but this is making me quite emotional because I’ve been Children’s Commissioner for nearly seven years, we’ve had three years of no government and two years of pandemic and what that’s done to our children and young people and our whole community is worrying but their resilience has been remarkable through this.

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“Their resilience and their ability to smile and joke and get on with the business in hand, whether that’s education, whether that’s their sports, whether that’s being with their mates is remarkable.”

The commissioner stressed she was “apolitical” and declined to comment on the reasons for the latest Stormont furore.

Related topics:Northern IrelandMLAs