Martin Whitfield MSP has been joined by parliamentary colleagues Jackie Baillie and Paul Sweeney on a visit to local mental health service The Haven, based at the Fraser Centre in Tranent.

Run by the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, the pilot wellbeing and resilience service is designed to complement CAMHS and to help prevent problems escalating to the point where professional intervention is needed. It is open to families living within the catchment area of Ross High School and/or registered with Tranent Medical Practice.

During the first six months of service, there were 1,264 visits. Of these, 656 were children and young people and 608 were their affected family members. The majority of The Haven’s attendees have mental health concerns around feelings such as anxiety, low mood and issues at school.

The pressure on CAMHS, and its need to tackle the most serious mental health concerns first, means that children with those issues are often left for a sustained period of time with no intervention, which can result in an escalation to more serious mental health concerns.

Mr Whitfield and his colleagues met with staff and service users at the Haven at its base in the Fraser Centre. The Labour politicians were highly impressed by the service and the positive impact it has had locally in a relatively short period of time.

Martin Whitfield MSP said:

“I had been in dialogue with Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity about The Haven since the beginning of the project and am delighted to see the impact it is having on supporting young people and their families with mental health difficulties.

“The early intervention model adopted by the service is making a tangible difference to young people’s wellbeing as well as helping to alleviate the pressures on CAMHS.

“I welcome The Haven model and hope that it can be replicated elsewhere in Scotland as Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity is calling for.”

Roslyn Neely, CEO of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, said: 

“Children and young people in Scotland are in the midst of a mental health crisis, a crisis which doesn’t just impact the child, but the whole family who feel they have nowhere to turn. 

“We are staggered by the impact The Haven has had on young people and their families and the number of people who have been helped since we opened.

“We truly believe there is no time to wait. Allowing the mental health crisis to escalate just isn’t an option.”