Joint Strategic Board for Children and Family Mental Health minutes: 27 March 2024

Attendees and apologies

Present

• Stephen Gallagher, Director of Mental Health, Scottish Government, co-Chair
• Nicola Dickie, Director of People Policy, COSLA, co-Chair
• Angela Davidson, Deputy Director, Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Hannah Axon, Policy Manager, COSLA
• Carsten Mandt, Senior Programme Manager, Perinatal Mental Health Network
• Cheryl Burnett, Chair, National Parent Forum of Scotland
• Joanne Smith, Chair, Parent and Infant Mental Health Scotland and NSPCC Scotland
• David Mackay, Head of Policy, Children in Scotland
• Selena Gleadow-Ware, Perinatal Faculty Chair, Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland
• Mairi MacPherson, Deputy Director, Children and Families, Scottish Government
• Kandarp Joshi, Psychiatrist, Royal College of Psychiatry of Scotland
• Carrie Lindsay, Executive Director of Education and Children's Services, Fife Council.
• Martin Crewe, Director, Bernardo’s representing CCPS Scotland
• Marita Brack, Associate Director of Psychology for NES Scotland
• Haylis Smith, National Delivery Lead, Suicide Prevention
• Tracy Stewart, Scottish Council of Deans of Education
• Ali MacDonald, Prevention across the life-course, Public Health Scotland
• Alison Sutherland, The Promise
• Jaki Lambert, Director, Royal College of Midwives
• Laura Kerr, Children and Families Policy and Practice, Social Work Scotland

• Maggie Fallon, Unit Head, Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government

Secretariat

• Georgia de Courcy Wheeler, Team Leader, Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Katy Lister, Secretariat, Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Alastair Douglas, Secretariat, Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government

Observers

• Ruth Christie, Unit Head, Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Hannah Ross, Policy Manager, Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government
• David Leitch, Team Leader, Children & Young People’s Mental Health Improvement, Scottish Government
• Peter Innes, Policy Manager, Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Vicki Easson, Policy Manager, Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Chloe Duffus, Team Leader, Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Della Robb, Team Leader, Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Donna Munro, Clinical Project Manager, Children and Young People’s Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Aileen Blower, Professional Adviser, Children and Young People’s Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Roch Cantwell, Professional Adviser, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Anne McFadyen, Professional Adviser, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Stephen Mcleod, Professional Adviser, Mental Health, Scottish Government
• Jane Ford, Principal Public Health Intelligence Adviser, Public Health Scotland

Apologies

• Stephanie Phillips, Director of Transformation, Strategy, Planning and Performance, NHS24
• Matt McDonald, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Scottish Youth Parliament
• Leanne Blacklaw, Chief Inspector (Mental Health), Police Scotland
• Judy Thomson, Director of Training for Psychology Services, NHS Education Scotland

Items and actions

Welcome and introductions

Nicola Dickie (ND), as co-Chair of the Joint Strategic Board for Child and Family Mental Health (JSB), welcomed everyone to the second meeting and thanked them for their attendance. ND introduced herself and invited members who were not present at previous meetings to introduce themselves.

ND invited any comments or amendments on the:

• meeting one minute 22 February 2024 (paper one)
• amended Terms of Reference (paper two)

The amended Terms of Reference and meeting one minute were agreed by the Board.

ND invited officers to provide an update on actions form the previous meeting.

Harriet Waugh (HW), Team Leader in the Perinatal and Early Years Mental Health team met with colleagues from Children and Families Directorate in Scottish Government to discuss the Board’s Outcomes Framework and how it can sit alongside other work such as the Children and Young People’s Family Framework, Early Child Development (ECD) Programme and the Promise. Following discussion, HW agreed to draft further narrative for our Outcomes Framework, to include how it links with other frameworks, demonstrating how it might work in practice.

Georgia de Courcy Wheeler (GdeCW) and Hannah Axon (HA) met with Matt McDonald from Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) on engagement and participation. They discussed how we might link in with existing SYP work and how we best work with existing groups to progress our ambitions around participation.

Actions

• secretariat to ensure points on papers presented to the Board are captured in the minutes, and taken into consideration for future papers as opposed to altering and resending previous ones
• HW to produce a further narrative for the Board’s Outcomes Framework
• GdeCW and HA to progress plans for CYP engagement and participation

Children, young people and families in vulnerable situations (paper three)

HA outlined the paper provided which aimed to give an overview of current issues in this area, work undertaken/in progress, and the proposed scope and remit of the JSB in relation to the children and young people in vulnerable situations priority, with an initial focus on care experience.

The JSB was asked to:

• indicate if the paper reflected their understanding of the current key issues around children and young people in vulnerable situations, with a focus on care experience
• indicate support or alternative options to the way forward outlined in the paper

Discussion

• there was some discussion around the potential breadth of the term ‘vulnerable situations’, but members agreed that the initial focus of this work should be on those with care experience or on the edges of care
• board members noted that this priority would include consideration of young parents, as well as infants in care or on the edges of care. It was also noted that the relationship with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) would also need to be considered in relation to this priority
• board members also noted the importance of including people with lived experience. Alison Sutherland (AS) added that partnership working would be vital

Board members agreed that the issues identified in the paper reflect their understanding of key issues regarding children and families in vulnerable situations, and agreed to the focus on care experience and edges of care. The Board also agreed to the ‘Way Forward’ outlined. 

Actions

• board chairs to write to the Promise regarding supporting coherence with mental health policy development, explicitly including early years

Prevention and early intervention (paper four)

Maggie Fallon (MF) presented this paper on prevention and early intervention, which was one of the key identified priorities at ‘Meeting Zero’. The paper identified four key issues in relation to prevention and early intervention:

• embedding of non-clinical and prevention approaches to mental health support
• children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing in education
• social determinants of child and family mental health
• preconception awareness and support

The JSB was asked to:

• indicate if the paper reflected their understanding of the current key issues around prevention and early intervention.
• indicate support or alternative options to the way forward outlined in the paper.

Discussion

• board members noted the ongoing challenge of limited resources across all sectors, as well as the need to consider where the Board can have most impact in relation to early intervention and prevention. Members also noted the need to work across sectors, and across Scottish Government policy areas
• members agreed that it would not be feasible for it to take on specific work around social determinants, for example, but that it should take opportunities to influence policy development across social determinants in respect of child and family mental health considerations
• the need to ensure prevention and early intervention for under 5s was reflected was raised, and an opportunity to link in with the Early Child Development Transformation Programme was highlighted. Members also noted the important role of children’s service planning and wider community planning

Board members agreed that the issues highlighted in the presentation and paper were reflective of key issues in relation to early intervention and prevention, and agreed to the ‘Way Forward’ outlined in the paper.

Actions

• secretariat to include presentation and discussion on UNCRC, ECD-TP, and Ministerial and COSLA Spokesperson attendance for future meetings of the Board

Implementation groups presentation and discussion

GdeCW presented on how the actions across the four priorities that have been agreed by the Board could be taken forward. This included the setting up short-term project specific groups e.g. for perinatal service specification work, aligning with cross-policy group to progress shared ambitions e.g. the Mental Health in Schools Working Group and Workforce training and education group, providing space for further policy development or officer led work and setting up three long-term implementation groups: barriers and access to supports and services; awareness raising and promotion; and whole systems and transitions.

GdeCW explained that each implementation group would take a life stage model approach, and include engagement with children and families in accordance with the Board’s engagement principles.

The JSB was asked to:

• taking account of agreed priorities, provide views on options presented for next steps in implementation

Discussion

• members discussed the proposed approach and agreed that this would support staging and managing workload for the implementation groups, and Board as a whole 
• the Board agreed that they also have a role to influence policy development through consideration of mental health, e.g. in relation to social determinants
• the Board also agreed that taking a life stage model approach to the groups was helpful, and that participation should be at the centre - including the voice of babies, children and families

Actions

• secretariat to collate workstreams as presented in the four priority papers and share alongside the presentation for Board members to consider further and confirm approach, or offer alternatives, by correspondence
• following this, secretariat to progress standing up of implementation groups, seeking input from Board Chairs and Members as appropriate on terms of reference and membership

AOB

No other business was raised.

Close

ND thanked all for attending and contributions to the discussions.

The date of the next meeting will be confirmed in due course.