9th September 2025
Research into improvements made to mental health support for young people in Scotland has found limited progress over the last five years and limited transparency.
Alongside our partners Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland (CYPCS) and Young Scot, we commissioned research to assess what improvements had been made since the Youth Commission on Mental Health Services (YCMHS) made over 100 recommendations in 2019.
The review assessed progress against a focused set of the recommendations and found little evidence of improvements, partly due to a significant lack of publicly available information.
Where information was available, the report found that access to services varies significantly by location and demand for counselling services is outweighing provision. A key commitment for at least 1% of NHS funding to go towards young people’s mental health services has also not been met, with transparency around funding remaining an issue.
Our Chief Executive, Billy Watson, said: “The lack of progress made since the Youth Commission published its recommendations in 2019 is very disappointing, and the fact there is so little transparency is a real concern.
“We know from our engagement with young people through our work in schools, outreach programmes, and our charitably-funded Young People’s Panel, much more needs to be done to help support young people in Scotland.
“I hope these findings will put a spotlight back on the Youth Commission's work, and the voices of the young people behind it, leading to the implementation of these important recommendations.”
Nicola Killean, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, said: “Children and young people have consistently told me that mental health is an important issue for them, and that is why it is a priority for my office.
“Children have a right to good quality mental health care and preventative support, but too often this is falling short in Scotland. Despite accepting most of the recommendations from the 2019 Youth Commission on Mental Health Services, this report shows that evidence of progress by the Scottish Government in many areas is seriously lacking.
“Six years on it is unacceptable that young people are unable to see or feel the impact of the changes that have been promised.”
Cameron Gunn, a member of our Young People’s Panel (YPP), said:
“If the Scottish Government wishes to help Scotland's young people, trust must be at the centre of their approach.
“As demonstrated through the work of YCMHS and SAMH YPP, young people want their voices heard and are eager to work with the Scottish Government.
“However, this enthusiasm is hard to sustain when it is difficult for young people to see what the Government has improved and what changes have been implemented.”
The 2019 Youth Commission involved young people aged 15 to 25, and was funded by Scottish Government, and delivered by Young Scot and SAMH.
The aim of the Commission was to gather evidence, views and perspectives, and develop recommendations on how mental health services could be improved for children and young people. It published its report in March 2019.
The newly published research report and summary can be found on our website.
