Commenting as Northern Ireland's mental health champion, Professor Siobhan O'Neill, addresses Stormont's education committee on the impact of the Covid pandemic and lockdowns on children and young people's mental health, Dr Graham Gault, director of school leaders' union NAHT(NI), said:

"NAHT supports Professor Siobhan O’Neill’s call to the Stormont education committee for a new 10-year mental health strategy and an increase in funding for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

"Our members daily express deep and heart-breaking concerns around the mental health and wellbeing of young people and the incomprehensibly large waiting lists for appropriate services.

"Additionally, school leaders tell us that deficiencies in existing services, including the totally unacceptable levels of basic funding to schools that directly prohibit essential spending on training, resourcing and adult support, contribute to the problems experienced by children.

"As we, as a society, look towards entering a new mandate after the coming election, we must consider what we want for our children. At the moment, following an incredible decade of decimated education funding, we are in line for a further three-year shortfall of three quarters of a billion pounds. As the union of school leaders, we cannot even begin to conceive of the damage that will be done to our children, our school system and our school workforce if this comes to pass."