Child and family mental health: Joint Strategic Board - terms of reference

Our vision

As outlined in our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy:

Our vision is of a Scotland, free from stigma and inequality, where everyone fulfils their right to achieve the best mental health and wellbeing possible. 

Introduction

Following the conclusion of the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board and Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board, and recognising the ongoing need to support infants, children, young people and families with their mental health and wellbeing, the Scottish Government and COSLA have agreed to progress this work through a new joint strategic board for Children and Family Mental Health (JSB). 

This board will have a strategic overview of mental health work spanning preconception, the perinatal period, parent-infant relationships, early years (up to five), children and young people (five to 24 year olds or 26 years for care leavers), their families and carers - with a particular focus on the identified priorities.

Purpose and scope

The JSB, co-chaired by COSLA and the Scottish Government, will advise and take steps to drive forward progress in mental health and wellbeing support, taking a whole systems approach and in particular addressing crisis, prevention, support for preconception to early years, and children and families in vulnerable situations.

The JSB will bring together and oversee work previously undertaken by the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board and the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board, as well as commitments set out in the Mental Health Strategy Delivery Plan, taking a joined-up approach to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and families, including infants, postnatal and pregnant women.

The JSB will form, direct and support implementation groups to progress the work of the JSB as appropriate. 

As part of its whole system overview, the joint strategic board will be kept updated on related work which is more established and embedded into business-as-usual structures where appropriate and will be invited to provide advice and guidance on areas that require further development. 

The joint strategic board will also take account of changing context and priorities, considering emerging issues that members raise.

Priorities

The four priority areas for the JSB are:

Crisis

Address gaps in crisis support available to children, young people and families, with close links to the implementation of the Suicide Prevention Plan and the Self-Harm Strategy. 

Prevention

Ensure a focus on support that prevents mental health issues occurring or escalating, and tackled underlying causes, adversities, and inequalities wherever possible. 

Children, young people and families in vulnerable situations

Ensure mental health and wellbeing support is available, appropriate and accessible for children, young people and families in vulnerable situations. For the purposes of this work this includes children and young people with care experience, and children and young people on the edges of care. 

Mental health support during pregnancy and the early years

Continuing the work of the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board (PNIMH-PB), focusing on areas of work that require further development and cross organisational working. This includes support in the perinatal period (currently pregnancy to one year), which is a life stage that can present many challenges to mental health.

Meeting frequency and timescales

It is anticipated that the JSB will meet approximately four times per year, with the expectation that, particularly in the beginning stages of the board being set up, meetings may need to take place more frequently as required by priorities. 

The joint strategic board is expected to run until at least the end of February 2027, subject to regular review.  

Quorum

Meetings of the joint strategic board will be considered quorate if both COSLA and the Scottish Government are represented, alongside four other members.

Governance

The JSB will sit within the overall joint governance arrangements for the Mental Health Strategy, with political oversight being provided by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leadership Board, chaired by the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport and the COSLA Spokesperson for Health and Social Care.

In recognition of the cross-cutting nature of work to support children and families’ mental health, the joint strategic board will also ensure that the Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise and COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People are kept informed of progress.

Membership

The joint strategic board will be jointly chaired by the Scottish Government Director of Mental Health and the COSLA Director of People Policy. 

Membership of the board will be comprised of senior representatives from key stakeholder organisations ideally placed to drive forward existing and emerging priorities and provide strategic direction. This will include statutory services, national agencies and third sector representation, with arrangements made to draw on lived experience and ensure the voices of children and young people, parents and carers are heard. Flexibility will be retained to ensure the membership remains best place to progress outcomes. 

Participation and engagement of children and families

The voices and experiences of children, young people and their families, and postnatal and pregnant women remain central to this work. Principles for participation and engagement have been developed, and will support this.

This approach to meaningful engagement and participation will be incorporated and built upon in the development of the JSB. This will include the inclusion and representation of children, young people, and families (including postnatal and pregnant women) as appropriate within the membership of the joint strategic board, its implementation groups and as part of any evaluation. 

Operation

The board will be supported by implementation groups, which will be focussed on delivery and implementation of priority actions agreed by the JSB. 

The JSB and its implementation groups should also support opportunities for close and collaborative working on specific areas that may require involvement of wider policy teams, stakeholders and subject matter experts that would not otherwise be represented on the JSB. Examples include Learning Support and Wellbeing Policy, Drugs and Alcohol Policy, Suicide Prevention, Distress Brief Intervention, Children’s Health and Wellbeing Policy, Getting it right for every child, and The Promise. 

Implementation groups will be flexible and focussed on specific actions or groups of actions with deliverables. They should seek to make connections and interactions across priorities and work across all age ranges from preconception to young adulthood. As the JSB and its implementation groups mature, there will be scope for this model to be changed as needed. Additionally, it is expected that groups will form, and be stood down, in response to the needs of the JSB. Together these groups will work across all age ranges from preconception to young adulthood. They will be directed by and report to the JSB, providing regular updates on the work they are responsible for. 

The board will also work with existing groups and structures to progress actions where appropriate and by agreement. These could include: the Perinatal Mental Health Network Scotland (Managed Clinical Network); the Counsellors in Schools Network and the Mental Health in Schools Working Group. We will also continue to build connections between the joint strategic board and key parallel pieces of Scottish Government work such as the Pre-Birth to Three Transformational Change Programme, and the Children’s Services Planning Strategic Leads Network.

Accountability and reporting

The board is not established on a statutory basis. It is therefore not subject to the formal public appointments process and the requirements of the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland.  

Members of the joint strategic board are asked to declare any conflicts of on joining the board, or as they arise. Any action to be taken on the basis of these declarations will be at the discretion of the co-chairs. If one of the co-chairs has a conflict of interest, the remaining co-chair will lead in determining the appropriate course of action.

The JSB will work with Public Health Scotland to develop an outcomes framework that will inform and guide the work of the JSB, and align with the overarching Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Outcomes. Once agreed, this will be added to the Terms of Reference as Annex A. 

The JSB secretariat, provided by the Scottish Government, will work with colleagues to ensure a streamlined approach to reporting, aligning with the approach taken by the new governance structure for the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Verity House agreement.

Transparency and communication 

The terms of reference, updates, reports, membership and notes of meetings will be published on the Scottish Government’s website.

Through a selection of appropriate media platforms we will ensure that information on the work of the board and links to access to mental health support reaches stakeholders, young people, parents and families.

Arrangements for JSB papers 

The secretariat will seek to issue papers to board members at least one week in advance of meetings and presentations 48 hours before meetings. Where appropriate, recommendations will be made for a particular course of action.

Members will have the opportunity to review, discuss and provide advice to the hairs. Conclusions will be clearly communicated to members, either during the course of board meetings, or thereafter. In some cases, advice or recommendations may be put by the board to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leadership Board, Scottish Ministers and/or COSLA for their consideration. 

Efforts will be made to ensure members are able to discuss issues at board meetings. If it is not possible to facilitate a discussion at a board meeting due to timeframes, papers will be circulated via correspondence. 

Mental Health Directorate, Scottish Government 
COSLA
February 2024