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Author: Ian Carey

Who should design peer support for young people? Young people of course…

Posted on by Ian Carey

Getting mental health support from someone your own age, or who has dealt with something similar, can be effective.

Peer support is an approach that does just that.

Last weekend 30 young people got together to help design a national peer support service for Jigsaw.

David Kavanagh, Jigsaw’s Youth Voice & Engagement Manager, explains:

“At Jigsaw, we firmly believe that young people should play a central role in shaping the mental health services designed to support them. Evidence consistently shows that co-producing mental health services with young people leads to more relevant, effective, and impactful care. Our Youth Talk, We Listen series is a testament to this belief, and we are thrilled to see it come to life.

“This past weekend marked the first event in this exciting series. The session focused on designing a national peer support service for Jigsaw, using the innovative design thinking methodologies led by Jess Hayden from The Brave Lab. With over 30 young people participating, the energy and creativity in the room were remarkable. Together, they explored what peer support could and should look like in a Youth Primary Care Mental Health Service.

“The outcomes of this session represent more than just ideas—they signify a meaningful step in shaping mental health care that is personal, impactful, and aligned with the needs of young people. This work also ties directly into the research of Rachel Murphy, a UCD PhD candidate, who is developing a programme theory for peer support in primary care youth mental health. It’s an exciting step forward in offering a more personal care model for young people across Ireland.

“A huge thank you to Tara Buildings in Dublin for hosting us in such an inspiring and welcoming space. Your support helped create an environment that fostered collaboration and innovation.

“We’re eagerly looking ahead to the next session in this series, where we’ll partner with our colleagues at the HSE to continue innovating. Stay tuned for more updates as we progress through this journey of co-creating a brighter future for youth mental health in Ireland.”

The session was made possible through Léargas funding via Erasmus+.

 

PRESS RELEASE: Greater detail needed to understand how the Programme for Government will tackle youth mental health crisis – JIGSAW

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health, welcomes the commitments on tackling the crisis in youth mental health in the recently published Programme for Government, but caution that a clearer plan is needed to help young people in crisis now.

The broad commitment to enhancing mental health services for those under 25 is very welcome but the charity stressed the need to understand how those services are to be stepped up and where. Jigsaw noted that the mental health and wellbeing of young people globally has been deteriorating for the last two decades and that in Ireland we need an effective and immediate plan to deliver mental health services and supports for young people now.

Dr Joseph Duffy CEO of Jigsaw said:

“There are many really positive commitments in this programme that I want to welcome. The commitments around wait time reductions, expanding mental health services in schools, and commitments to improve CAMHS are all to be applauded, as is the commitment to continue to support the voluntary and community sector working in mental health.

“However, we feel that the plans could have been strengthened considerably by a commitment to invest in and expand early intervention services. We know that helping young people when they first experience distress is the most effective way to prevent suffering and improve outcomes. It also helps reduce the need for acute services as you catch problems sooner. 

“Above all we want to see the young people in our community who are struggling or in distress getting the services they need and deserve. Jigsaw, and others in the community and voluntary sector, are working hard to address that need and play a vital role in addressing the crisis we find ourselves in. 

“Our sector is best placed to deliver an increase in mental health services to young people quickly and cost-effectively. We look forward to working with the new government to meet their ambition and address this need. What matters most is that young people get the help they need when they need it.”

What does the Programme for Government say on youth mental health?

Posted on by Ian Carey

The incoming Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Independents Government has just published a Programme for Government, but in the midst of a youth mental health crisis what does it say?

Here we pick through the document and let you know what the incoming government are saying about helping young people in need.

We have pulled out some of the key sections in this exhaustive document. There are more sections which relate to youth and well-being and we have included a link to the document below.

Page 95 – Mental Health

This Government is committed to promoting good mental health and ensuring access to appropriate supports when and where people need them. We will fully implement the national mental health policy, ‘Sharing the Vision’. A priority for this Government is the enactment of the Mental Health Bill 2024, the passage of which is essential to modernise our mental health services.

Mental health workforce and infrastructure

This Government will:

  • Continue to recruit staff both nationally and internationally.
  • Expand psychology assistant posts.
  • Expand the number of funded places in Clinical Psychology Doctorate training.
  • Develop and implement a ten-year mental health refurbishment and investment infrastructure plan.
  • Consider measures to attract and retain staff in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), we will also develop a new workforce plan to address immediate staffing shortages and longer-term needs.
  • Examine the establishment of new expedited qualification routes for professionals with relevant skills and experience.

Community based supports

This Government will:

  • Support local groups like Men’s Sheds, Women’s Sheds and Active Retirement communities.
  • Continue to support the voluntary and community sector working in mental health.
  • Maximise telehealth and virtual health technologies.

Child and Youth mental health

This Government will:

  • Legislate to regulate CAMHS.
  • Continue to expand the central referral mechanism to simplify referrals to community paediatric services, including CAMHS, to ensure that no child is placed on the wrong waiting list.
  • Continue to resource CAMHS teams to reduce waiting lists.
  • Establish targeted supports for children with autism experiencing mental health challenges.
  • Develop a new care model for HSE Primary Care Psychology to expedite services for young people with less complex issues.
  • Enhance youth mental health services for those up to age 25, focusing on smoother transitions from CAMHS to adult mental health services.
  • Increase staffing in under-18 dual diagnosis services to better treat young people with mental health and substance abuse issues.
  • Continue to invest in waiting list initiatives.
  • Launch the Youth Mental Health app to support the mental health needs of young people.

The Section also includes commitments to grow supports for people with eating disorders, suicide prevention, perinatal mental healthcare, and supports for older people.

Page 70 – Safer, healthier children

This government will:

  • Work with school leaders to ensure schools are smartphone-free zones to protect student wellbeing and learning.
  • Review the mental health and wellbeing pilots that are ongoing in primary and post-primary schools and expand them.
  • Ensure the implementation of the actions in the Zero Tolerance Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
  • Implement and monitor the roll-out of the Behaviours of Concern guidelines to ensure the needs of children with special educational needs are met.
  • Expand the FUSE anti-bullying programme to reach more students and schools.
  • Promote digital literacy and online safety education in schools, especially through Webwise in collaboration with Coimisiún na Meán and other organisations to ensure children understand online safety risks and increase supports against bullying, online abuse and expanding counselling resources.
  • Continue to implement digital literacy and online safety education in schools and launch public awareness campaigns to educate and support parents.
  • Introduce a holistic wellness programme that addresses urgent health and social issues facing young people today including: * A Comprehensive Wellness Approach, focusing on physical activity, nutrition, emotional wellbeing, and positive social behaviour in schools, promoting at least 60 minutes of physical activity throughout the full day for children of all abilities.

The Draft Programme for Government 2025 Securing Ireland’s Future is available on both the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael websites.

Click here to see the document in full. 

Teachers need better training to help students with their mental health, Jigsaw research finds

Posted on by Ian Carey

Teachers, and other school staff, say they feel under pressure to deliver mental health supports to teenagers, a new study has found.

Researchers from Jigsaw, UCD and University of Galway, engaged with to over 350 school staff about their experiences addressing mental health in Irish schools.

They found that while teachers were generally positive towards mental health engagement in schools, many did not feel adequately prepared to deliver mental health supports.

Many school staff described feeling under pressure due to the increased demands to deliver mental health programmes, and it was impacting their own mental well-being.

Researchers identified a clear desire among staff for increased training in the area and have recommended that sufficient and appropriate training should be rolled out before staff deliver mental health promotion or supports.

Other recommendations include allowing more time for teachers to deliver programmes, clear policies and guidelines, as well as investment in mental health services, to reduce pressure on schools to care for students whilst they wait for support from mental health services.

 Jigsaw researcher Anna Blix said:

“What we learnt from this study is that school staff care deeply about their students, and that they are motivated to support them towards positive mental health. We found that there is a clear desire among staff for more training in this area, and that staff who haven’t been trained often feel overwhelmed and under pressure. To respond to this, we would love to more see mental health training for school staff developed through a co-design process, ensuring that training is engaging for staff and relevant to the Irish context.”

Step into 2025 in aid of Jigsaw

Posted on by Ian Carey

Olympians Sharlene Mawdsley and Rob Heffernan officially launched the Forvis Mazars 2025 Steps Team Challenge, which kicks off on Monday, 20 January and runs until Sunday, 16 February 2025.

The event challenges participants to build up steps every day for their team. They are also asked to donate to the partner charities for the event – this year Jigsaw and Focus Ireland.

Last year over 3,600 people across Ireland, the 2025 challenge aims to inspire even more individuals, companies and communities to join the movement toward better health and wellbeing.

The 2025 Steps Team Challenge is open to teams of four (friends, family or colleagues) who can choose to walk or run, one of two virtual routes around Ireland:

  • A four-province route where, with an average of 10,000 steps a day, participants will walk through all four provinces of Ireland.
  • A 32-county route where participants will need to average 16,000 steps per day to journey across all 32 counties.

No matter which route participants choose, the Forvis Mazars Steps Team Challenge is designed to be inclusive, accessible and fun, encouraging everyone to take part in a spirit of community and camaraderie.

Speaking about the 2025 Challenge, Olympic 400m sprinter and European mixed 4x400m Champion and Forvis Mazars Steps Team Challenge ambassador Sharlene Mawdsley, said “This challenge is not just about fitness – it’s about coming together. Whether you are part of a company, a club, or just a group of friends, you’ll strengthen bonds while having fun together. At the end of the day, it’s not about how far or how fast you go – it’s about taking those steps together and having fun while doing it”.

Joining Mawdsley as ambassador is five-time Olympic walker Rob Heffernan who added, “In addition to being a great team bonding experience what makes the Steps Team Challenge so good is that it’s open to everyone, no matter what your fitness level is. It’s also the perfect opportunity to help you start the year on the right foot – getting outdoors and getting some physical activity in.”

There are over €20,000 worth of prizes to be won to help keep everyone motivated. These include weekly giveaways and end-of-challenge rewards such as luxury overnight stays for two at the InterContinental Dublin with dinner, indulgent spa treatments paired with lunch packages, vouchers for Regatta Outdoors stores nationwide, premium tickets to see Robbie Williams at Croke Park, and over €5,000 in CleverCard pre-paid gift cards.

This year, the Steps Team Challenge proudly supports two charities: Jigsaw and Focus Ireland. For every participant who registers, Forvis Mazars will donate to both charities, helping to drive positive change and support their vital work.

“We are so genuinely delighted to have been chosen to be one of the 2025 charity partners for the Forvis Mazars Team Steps Challenge.  Not only will this raise vital funds to support our free therapy for children and young people (aged 12-25) struggling with their mental health, it will also bring friends, family and colleagues together to get out and active to support their own physical and mental health.  Everyone here in Jigsaw is so looking forward to getting on our runners to step it ou for the Forvis Mazars Team Steps Challenge in the coming weeks”, said Justin McDermott, Fundraising Manager at Jigsaw. 

To take part, teams can register on the Forvis Mazars 2025 Steps Team Challenge website. Once registered, teams can download the challenge app, which connects to participants’ phones or fitness devices, to track progress. This allows you to monitor your position on the virtual route, track your team’s progress on leaderboards and see how close you are to success!

Forvis Mazars Managing Partner Tom O’Brien said, “This is our third Steps Team Challenge, and it has been fantastic to see the growth in numbers participating. This initiative offers a fantastic opportunity for companies, clubs, and organisations to strengthen their culture, foster team spirit, and bring people together in a meaningful way. Best of luck to everyone taking part in 2025.”

For further information on the Forvis Mazars 2025 Teams Steps Challenge or to register, please visit www.forvismazars.com/ie/steps