Mum of teen left suicidal after school bus attack says mental health support pleas "fell on deaf ears"
The mum of a teenage girl left suicidal after a brutal school bus attack has slammed the Scottish Government after her pleas for better mental health support "fell on deaf ears".Calls for action were made in December after devastating figures revealed that more than 5,300 Scottish children and young people were on waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Of this figure, 147 were waiting over a year.Vicky Donald told how her daughter, Kaylynn, 13, wanted to take her own life after she was battered by bullies as she travelled home from class at Bell Baxter High in Fife, in October 2022.
But despite this, Kaylynn waited 16 months to receive an initial appointment for mental health support - which is well out with the Scottish Government's pledged 18-week target.At the time, the Scottish Children's Services Coalition (SCSC) demanded that the government urgently commit more funding to tackle waiting lists as children faced a "mental health crisis" amid an epidemic of youth violence.
But after the government delivered its budget last month, figures show there is still no cash for young people as funds for mental health support have been frozen since 2022.Vicky, 36, told the Record: "I can't believe it.
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