Wexford under-18 mental health survey launched amid calls for improved youth services

Young people across County Wexford are being invited to share their experiences of mental health as a new survey aimed specifically at under-18s is launched.

The initiative is being led by the Wexford Mental Health Working Group and follows an earlier public survey carried out in June.

That survey produced a particularly striking finding among younger adults, with 91% of respondents aged between 18 and 24 reporting that they had experienced mental health difficulties.

Sinn Féin Councillor Aoife Rose O’Brien, Chair of the Wexford Mental Health Working Group, said the latest survey is intended to give younger people — along with their parents and guardians — an opportunity to explain the challenges they face.

“We want to give them the space to tell us what matters to them, what challenges they face when it comes to their mental health,” she said.

Councillor O’Brien described the 91% figure among 18-to-24-year-olds as extremely concerning and said it reflected many of the experiences already being reported to public representatives and services on the ground.

She said parents are regularly seeking improved services and, in some cases, struggling even to secure assessments for their children.

The working group says the findings from the new survey will be brought to relevant government ministers, State bodies and those responsible for the provision of mental health services.

Councillor O’Brien said the group does not want the consultation to simply result in another report, saying the purpose of gathering people's experiences is to provide evidence for improvements in services.

Another major concern being highlighted by the group relates to plans for a specialist mental health unit for County Wexford.

Councillor O’Brien said she welcomed confirmation that the county is to receive the facility but said she had been informed that a service for under-18s was not currently expected to form part of it.

“We have to make sure that our younger people are supported,” she said.

“If our children develop issues with their mental health, they have to have access to robust services to help them manage it and prevent that from escalating further into their adulthood years.”

The under-18 survey has been developed with input from young people and local youth services, with Councillor O’Brien describing the process as youth-led.

The survey is open for two weeks and can be accessed through Wexford County Council’s consultation website at consult.wexfordcoco.ie.

The working group says the findings will be analysed and subsequently shared with the public as part of its campaign for improved mental health provision across County Wexford.