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Month: February 2025

Government receive lowest grade for Youth Mental Health from Childrens Rights Alliance

Posted on by Ian Carey

The Children’s Rights Alliance have given their verdict on the Government’s promises around youth mental health and given them an ‘E’ grade.

This is the second year in a row that Ireland’s Children’s Rights advocacy group has given the Government a low grade on this issue.

The grade comes as part of their annual Report Card on Programme for Government promises.

It relates specifically to promises to ‘work to end the admission of children to adult psychiatric units’

The rights group acknowledge has reduced significantly but not been eliminated.

The Report Card states:

“‘Children in adult psychiatric facilities’ receives an ‘E’ grade, the same as the ‘E’ grade received last year. There has been a welcome decrease in the number of children admitted to adult psychiatric units in 2024, and indeed over the course of this Programme for Government. In 2024, there were 51 operational in-patient beds in four public child in-patient units. As of 2024, these units have begun accepting emergency out-of-hours admissions. Waiting lists remained high in 2024, with 3,830 children awaiting a first appointment with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). While the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill lapsed at the dissolution of the 33rd Dáil in November 2024, indications are that it will be a priority piece of legislation in the 34th Dáil. However, its reintroduction to the Oireachtas in its current format is worrying given that the Bill does not legislate to ban admitting children to adult in-patient psychiatric wards.”

 

Jigsaw Secures European Funding for Mental Health Research

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jigsaw has secured European Horizon funding for our research work aimed at improving access to healthcare and mental healthcare amongst marginalised communities.

The Europe-wide project, involving leading research partner organisations across seven countries, is called EQUICARES.

The 4-year project will see the design and implementation of nine “Smart Health Labs” across Europe, focusing on supporting vulnerable populations, including older people, young people, and migrants.

Jigsaw’s Research & Evaluation Team will work closely with all nine pilot labs to develop a data collection tool, provide expert guidance, and lead on data analysis to better understand how vulnerable groups experience and engage with mental health services.

This is an overview of the project’s key objectives:

  • EQUICARES aims to improve access to innovative and sustainable mental health and care services for people in vulnerable situations through research, co-creation, and policy solutions.
  • It will deliver innovative mental health solutions in diverse socioeconomic settings, piloted through Smart Health Labs.
  • The project will also conduct cost analyses and develop an Inclusive Mental Health and Care Policy Dashboard to inform future service design.

Dr Jeff Moore, Director of Research & Evaluation at Jigsaw, said:

“The youth mental health crisis is undeniable—too many young people still face barriers to accessing the care they need.

“EQUICARES offers a vital opportunity to develop innovative solutions that can break down these barriers and ensure more young people receive the mental health support they deserve.”

How to talk to a young person about toxic relationships

Posted on by eve

Relationships are a central part of life, especially for young people embarking on new friendships and romantic connections. The best relationships build confidence and resilience, but toxic relationships can harm your mental health.

It’s important to talk with young people about what are the signs of toxic behaviours within relationships and how we can all work to have healthy connections.

Need some fitness inspo? Look no further than Jigsaw’s 100k heroes

Posted on by Ian Carey

Nevermind 10,000 steps a day…

These two fundraisers clocked up an incredible 100km each on New Year’s Day all to raise money for Jigsaw.

Craig Hynes, from Birr, Co Offaly, ran 100km of the Offaly Way on New Year’s day.

The fitness enthusiast took on the massive challenge to raise funds for youth mental health and help those facing hardship in their lives.

Craig’s mid-Winter run certainly was very challenging, he explains:

“Everything went against me as the weather was bad. I had wind and rain from the off that morning. I made it to the half way mark, just over 5 hours, and after that I felt my knee and foot give me awful bother but kept pushing through.

“That slowed me down a lot and the mountain trails were destroyed with deep marsh and fallen trees scattered around. It made it a real adventure.  I ended up finishing the route at 5:40pm which made the run 13hours and 40 minutes overall.  

“Unfortunately , I spent the Christmas in a leg brace as I tore my cartilage and soft tissue around the knee and tore ligaments on my foot but other than that I am happy and absolutely delighted and proud I got the tast completed.

“I had a great crew of helpers and a good friend that ran the second half of the run with me amd kept me safe and motivated.

“It really was a magical day running from dark to light to dark again amd overcoming a lot of pain and discomfort but that was overshadowed by the beauty of the wild mountains and the real reason I was running  that day which was to help and encourage others to overcome hardships in their lives.”

Craig presenting his cheque to Eimear and Deirdre from the Laois/Offaly Jigsaw

Barry Potter, from Frenchpark Co Roscommon, also managed the massive feat, clocking up 101km.

The personal trainer ran all the way from his home in Roscommon to Blackrock Pier in Galway, all in aid of Jigsaw.

Barry wanted to raise awareness about Jigsaw and the benefits of running.

“It just seemed right to do it for Jigsaw since it helped me,” he told the Roscommon Herald

“People might be down and they don’t realise that there are tools out there like running, even if it’s 1km or half a kilometre, it’s more than what you’ve done before.”

“All my friends were supporting me, saying, ‘oh you can do this, you can do this’, but I was in Renmore in Galway and I was trying to work out how I could make up this last 10km,” he said.

Barry with his daughter Alaia at the finish line.

RESPONSE: Investing in early intervention supports for young people is essential – JIGSAW

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jigsaw welcome the statement issued today (February 5th, 2025) on the need for reform of mental healthcare in Ireland from John Farrelly, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Commission IRL, the regulator for mental health services in Ireland.

Commenting this morning in the Journal, Mr Farrelly calls on the government to move away from ‘short-term fixes’ and focus on building a ‘modern and accessible community mental health services that will become our first port of call if we are unwell’.

Dr Joseph Duffy, CEO of Jigsaw, responded:

“The comments from Mr Farrelly are timely and important as we start a national debate on how to support young people as a country. Sadly, the youth mental health crisis we are experiencing in Ireland today is a significant and growing issue. We must act now. Doing more of the same is no longer good enough. 

“Our current approach to mental healthcare in Ireland is not preventing preventable illness. We are allowing the number of more serious illness to grow and young people to fall through the gaps.

“Imagine if we treated heart disease the same way we treat youth mental health. Instead of encouraging healthy habits, regular check-ups, and early intervention, we’d wait until someone had a full-blown heart attack before offering treatment.

“We don’t wait for a heart attack to take heart health seriously—so why wait for a crisis to take youth mental health seriously?”

“We need more community mental health services for young people struggling with anxiety, depression, or stress, so we can reduce the number of lifelong mental health conditions, costly hospitalizations, and personal suffering. Early intervention when someone is suffering is key. ”