Agenda item
Covid 19 Update - Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing
A presentation to be made at the meeting.
Minutes:
The Sub-Committee received a verbal update on the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health and emotional wellbeing of young people.
Mr James Thomas, Corporate Director for Children and Culture introduced the item saying mental health and emotional wellbeing was one of the three key priorities of the Tower Hamlets Safeguarding Children Partnership. He said there had been an increase in the number of young people and families experiencing mental health issues since the pandemic, with increased levels of isolation, anxiety and worry about prospects amongst young people as well as increased cases of domestic violence and breakdown of family relationships.
The Sub-Committee heard from Mr Harry Forshaw, a youth worker from Spotlight, who explained what his organisation had done to support young people during the pandemic before hearing from young people who had attended the meeting.
Mr Shaw Chifamba a second-year university student stated he had been involved with the work of Spotlight for approximately two years and had held several mental health positions both in University as well as in sixth form college.
The main points made by Mr Chifamba were:
- Students had expressed feelings of isolation, depression and sadness following the first wave of the lockdown and pandemic, with many students finding it difficult to cope with family dynamics and poor living conditions.
- The dream of experiencing university life and face to face learning had been quashed due to the pandemic with many students suffering from insomnia. He said that he had been able to access data from university servers which indicated that the average time that students were online was getting later and later and that lack of sleep was becoming more of an issue.
- Mr Chifamba recommended the Sub-Committee to look at what online resources were available to support young people and said it was not always ideal for a young person to see a doctor, wait for a referral and engage with professional mental health providers, in the traditional way.
- Quick and simple access was required so young people could, for example join an online forum and talk to a professional straight away; to providing information which young people can read and be more aware of their mental health.
Mr Taryak Hussain addressed the Sub-Committee stating that he was a volunteer with Spotlight. He said Spotlight had supported him as a young person and therefore he wanted to give back to the community. Mr Hussain said his own mental health had suffered during the pandemic, with him receiving mental health treatment due to complications in his life.
The main points made by Mr Hussain were:
- Young people with mental health issues suffered from low self-esteem and lacked the ambition to succeed. Feelings of isolation, low-mood and depression were common among young people.
- The pandemic and lockdown had resulted in young people being unable to socialise with friends and feed off each other to maintain a positive mindset.
- Despite the lifting of restrictions, staying home had become the norm. This unhealthy cycle needed to be broken. Young people required support and guidance on how to start up conversations and make friends, as well as assistance to access professional help when they required it.
- Mr Hussain recommended the Sub-Committee to speak to young people directly to understand the issues that were of concern to them.
Ms Amal Nur, a first-year nursing student said she had been involved with the youth community for three to four years and said mental health had changed significantly over the last decade.
The main points made by Ms Nur were:
- Young people did not always have the knowledge or skills to recognise stress and mental health issues and how to deal with this.
- Access to mental health provision was not provided in a format which young people found accessible.
- Young people avoided talking to other young people and/or adults/professionals due to the perceived stigma of having a mental health issue. She said this was particularly an issue in BAME communities. They focussed on their education or spent time on social media to distract themselves from dealing with their mental health issue until it became a crisis.
- Ms Nur recommended the Sub-Committee promote mental health education in schools and provide a safe place for young people to express their issues without being judged by others.
In response to questions from members the following was noted:
- Going back to school/college or university will help give young people a sense of normality however the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic will take longer to deal with. Young people must contend with feelings of depression, low-mood and isolation and require support and guidance to navigate the return to normality.
- In response to how awareness could be raised in BAME communities where children are classed as naughty or stubborn because of their mental health condition, Mr Chifamba said this would be a challenge due to the cultural differences but if professionals were serious about the tackling this then they needed to work with parents to ensure they understood the cultural nuances as well as educate parents.
- Data to support the rise in insomnia was from the university servers, which indicated students were online until 2:00 a.m. with a gradual increase to 5:00 a.m. during the lockdown.
- The transition from sixth form college to university had been difficult for those students who finished their education in 2020. The pandemic meant the last few months of their study and exams were interrupted, with a considerable amount of uncertainty as to what would happen with exam results. Coupled with the lack of support and preparedness for university, with many students having nothing to do over a six-month period, the start of university had been a stressful time. Some young people had shown resilience whilst others had by January 2021 dropped out of university.
- In response to if young people were aware of the mental health services available, Mr Hussain stated that it was not always obvious to young people how to access services. He said during his own crisis he was confused whether to approach adult mental health services or CAMHS as he was in the 18-21 age bracket.
- Ms Nur and Mr Chifamba added it was hard for young people to admit to a mental health issue. They found it difficult to identify what exactly was wrong and find the right information online to identify and seek access to the right service. They said services were difficult to navigate not just for young people but other professionals such as teachers.
- ACTION: Mr Anthony Harris from the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) offered to meet with the young people to discuss ways to improve access to Adult and CAMHS services.
- In response to what social media platforms information should be on, Mr Chifamba said whilst having general campaigns on social media, such as YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook were a method of disseminating information, the local health partnership needed to develop a local app/ website which signposted young people to the right service, which they should promote widely in schools, youth services and universities.
Following the young people, a presentation was made by Dr Helen Jones, a local GP who works with Spotlight. She said Health Spot was a service launched in April 2019, which was specifically dedicated to the well-being of young people. She said it provided a safe space for young people to discuss and access medical advice and services.
The main points made by Dr Jones were:
- Health Spot was an extended GP Clinic based at the Spotlight Youth Centre which operated in the evenings and provided support to young people, in a safe friendly environment.
- Many of the issue highlighted by the young people resonated with Dr Jones, who said young people found it difficult to navigate basic services, with a tendency to fall between the gaps. They had worries about confidentiality and fears parents will find out.
- The aim of Health Spot was to remove the barriers, with youth workers bridging the gap between finding out the issues and Health Spot providing health support to young people such as mental health counsellors, access to sexual health services and/or substance misuse services.
- The pandemic lockdown had led to an increase in the number of young people experiencing mental health issues.
- A key challenge was to remove barriers for under 18s, such as access to GP, without the consent of parents.
- Dr Jones said there was a lack of awareness both locally and nationally and whilst some effort had been made to integrate services more needed to be done.
- Stigma and struggling to understand what children were facing, was also an issue with many parents needing support on how to recognise and help their child.
In response to questions from members the following was noted:
- The funding for the Health Spot project was from various funding pots and was open to all young people in Tower Hamlets.
- Spotlight is a youth service open to all young people 11-19 years olds and young adults with special education needs or disabilities. Health Spot was a first, to be done in a youth centre with the hope to replicate the model elsewhere.
- Data showed young people from the east side of the borough were using the service more as well as young people for other London boroughs.
The Chair thanked the attendees for their contribution to the meeting and said their input had been invaluable, in helping members to understand the impact Covid-19 had had on the mental health of young people.
The Chair summarised the main points of the discussion as follows:
- Mr Anthony Harris (CCG) to speak with young people to ensure the voice of young people is heard in the shaping and commissioning of services. In particular, the transition between CAMHS and Adult services. The Sub-Committee to be kept informed on the progress made.
- Mr James Thomas, Corporate Director for Children and Culture to investigate what provision is available in schools to support young people returning to school.
- What school are doing to raise parental awareness of mental health. Are School open days, transition from primary to secondary schools used as ways to engage with parents.
- What online resources are available and consider developing a text-based service for young people.
- How are young people consulted about their mental health, not just CAMHS but more broadly?
- What measures for in place particularly for Year 13 students, whose education has been interrupted by the pandemic and have not sat exams. How are they being supported?