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BBC Scotland today is making much of Scotland’s NEET [Not in Education, Employment, or Training] statistics not allowing comparison with the rest of the UK and the supposed lack of support for those with mental health problems in seeking employment, based on a single case:

Neala Sheils spent two years applying for jobs with little success before finally securing work in a hotel last month.

Before she got a job, the 20-year-old from Glasgow was one of growing number of young people classed as Neet, meaning they are not in education, employment or training.

and

Alex Cumming, from SAMH, says there is not enough specialist employability support for young people like Neala to get into work.

“I think there’s some fantastic initiatives, there’s some good partnership and good projects, but we need to be doing more,” he says.

“Mental health problems have doubled in the past 10 years. So it’s more people suffering with anxiety, depression, low mood.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gjd853r0eo

Deliberately absent from this story, based on one case only and one claim, are these hugely important contextual factors:

After two decades of SNP Government far fewer per head young Scots are not in employment, education or training (Neets)

Burnham needs to copy SNP policies to reduce massive gap in youth unemployment, 55% higher ‘across the UK’ than in Scotland

Youth unemployment in Scotland at 10.2% far lower than UK average of 16.2% due to SNP policy focus on youth employment and efforts to align education with employer needs

Child and young people mental health treatment target smashed for 6th time in a row, more and more are treated but media bottom feeders desperately undermine that success

Children’s mental health referrals and waiting times soar in England to three and four times the levels in Scotland as child poverty, youth violence, youth unemployment and domestic violence fall steadily here

Research reveals increasing mental health referrals among children may be more due to a greater readiness to come forward and to coding changes than to an actual increase in depression and anxiety and casts Daily Record reporting as ill-informed and exploitative

Help Talking-up Scotland keep going

Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going

Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code – 08-91-04 Account – 12266421