Brecon and Radnor AM Kirsty Williams says the mental health of young people in Wales is 'an absolute priority', following the announcement of £7m of extra funding for mental health initiatives.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething announced an additional £7.1m to help to protect, improve and support the mental health of children and young people in Wales on Monday, January 14.

He said the new investment will support the implementation of the Welsh Government’s response to the recommendations made by the National Assembly’s Children, Young People and Education Committee in its Mind over Matter report last year, and will build on previous investments to improve child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and will also support the 'whole-school approach' to improve mental health and wellbeing in schools.

"Improving mental health for everyone is a top priority for me as Health Minister and for the Welsh Government," he said.

"The extra funding I’m announcing today is a significant and meaningful investment to help us do more to protect, improve and support the mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people by further developing these services."

The Mind over Matter report was published in September 2018 following a wide-ranging enquiry into emotional and health. It identified an urgent need to invest in preventative and early intervention services, and called for mental health to be 'embedded in the new curriculum in Wales'.

Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams, said: "The mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people is an absolute priority, and our ‘whole school’ approach ensures this is central to the way schools work and touch on all the different aspects of school life.

"This funding will help build on the dedicated, professional support we provide to schools, including through our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), to ensure our pupils are fully supported through each stage of their education.”

Children's charity NSPCC Cymru said that concern about mental or emotional health was the most common reason for children from Wales to contact their Childline service, and they say more than 2,000 counselling sessions were delivered last year as a result of young people contacting them.

A spokesperson from NSPCC Cymru described the funding as a "positive step forwards".

"We also know that up to nine in 10 children who are abused at an early age are likely to develop a mental health problem by the time they’re 18, and we fear many aren’t getting the support they desperately need to rebuild their lives," they said.

"Far too many children who need treatment are struggling to find it, which is a desperately sad situation for them and their families, so the funding announced by the Welsh Government is a positive step towards providing the help they require."