Written question WQ95056

I am committed to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people and we continue to deliver a range of work to do this. This includes our work in schools to improve emotional mental health and wellbeing and the implementation of our NYTH/NEST framework to ensure that services focus on the issues that matter most to young people. We also offer easy access to online support for anxiety, with tailored support for young people and their families.

However, I recognise that the support needed to reduce anxiety primarily sits outside of health services which is why we are taking a cross-Government to do this. This includes a focus on the early years, tackling poverty and education.

We have supported Public Health Wales to develop Hapus, the National Conversation on Mental Wellbeing. Hapus is a nationwide campaign which aims to encourage people to prioritise their mental wellbeing and motivate them to take action by engaging with wellbeing-promoting behaviours, activities and assets in their community.

The website hosts resources providing key information about mental wellbeing and benefits of engaging with wellbeing-promoting community assets such as the natural environment, arts and culture. Visitors to the website are encouraged to “join the conversation” by sharing what helps to protect and improve their mental wellbeing. Artists from across Wales were commissioned to produce short films exploring the concept of wellbeing and what matters to people. These films include Joy for Dads and Heavy Metal is for Life giving a male perspective.

Our longer-term vision for mental health services and support across Wales will be set out in the strategies and delivery plans that we are currently developing. We are using the findings from the recent consultation to inform the final versions which will be published next year. The strategies are based on a cross-Government and multi-agency approach and cover primary prevention, right through to specialist services.

The associated impact assessments will draw out where we need a specific focus on different populations, including men and children and young people. Our consultation analysis has provided feedback on how we can strengthen this approach. But what is crucial in our approach is that our services need to be needs led and person centred.

In parallel to the development of the Strategies, we continue our significant programme of work to improve mental health services. We have invested more than £2m in the NHS Executive to drive improvements in our mental health services. This includes a focus on improving support for adults through the Adult mental health clinical network. We also continue to develop the 111 press 2 service which has now supported over 120,000 people.