Barnardo's Scotland response to Health and Sport Committee inquiry into health and wellbeing of children and young people

Barnardo's Scotland have submitted this briefing in response to the Health and Sport Committee inquiry into the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

Barnardo’s works in over 400 schools across Scotland. We surveyed our school-based staff to find out the challenges affecting young people to understand their emerging needs as they transitioned back into education. We found of the Barnardo’s school-based staff who responded:

• 76% identified poor mental health and wellbeing outcomes as the greatest concern facing children and young people who had returned to full-time education in August, following Covid-19 lockdowns.
• 94% agreed that children and young people have more worries now than compared with pre-pandemic.
• 77% agreed that children and young people were anxious about the need to ‘catch up’ on missed schooling.