Social Innovation Growth Fund Ireland Limited trading as Rethink Ireland.

Lobbying Organisation Social Innovation Growth Fund Ireland Limited trading as Rethink Ireland.

Date published 21 Sep, 2020

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Health

Period 1 May, 2020 to 31 Aug, 2020

Specific Details A number of organisations that work in the youth mental health sector had particular concerns about the impact of COVID 19 on the mental health of children and young people in Ireland. Together we came up with recommendations to address the issue. Our endgame is for those recommendations to be considered and/or to inform the steps the government takes to support young people’s mental health at this time. Rethink Jessica Curtis is co-chair with Dr Shari McDaid.

Intended results Put in place additional capacity in early intervention services to support children and young people’s mental health to prevent recent and current distress becoming severe, longer-term mental health difficulties.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Jessica Curtis- Senior Fund Manager Rethink Ireland on behalf of The Children and Young People’s Mental Health COVID-19 Coalition

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Letter (1)

Letter sent 22nd July on behalf of The Children and Young People’s Mental Health COVID-19 Coalition (Co-chaired by Rethink Ireland) 1)A clear strategy should be put in place to meet the need for talking therapies at primary care level, 2)Referral pathways to primary care psychology should be expanded and improved, 3)Online primary care-level talking therapy services should be made available to all teenagers and young adults as soon as possible, 4)A signposting tool should be developed to facilitate children and young people’s access to existing, quality information to support all areas of their life. 5)Resources should be allocated, including the scaling up of e-mental health infrastructure to (CAMHS) across community and acute settings to effectively meet existing and emerging mental health need. 6)The HSE should invest to expand the number of funded courses in educational and counselling psychology 7)The Mental Health Act 2001 should be amended protect the legal right of 16 and 17

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Mary Butler Minister of State (Department of Health)