spunout’s response to Budget 2027

spunout warmly welcomes the continued investment in youth mental health supports announced in Budget 2027, particularly the expansion of early intervention services for young people.

This builds on real progress. Mental Health funding has risen every year since 2020 and Budget 2027 adds a further €108 million. 

Early intervention is essential to ensuring young people can access the right mental health support at the right time. 

We particularly welcome the expansion of community-based specialist services and crisis support, increased talk therapy provision, new ADHD pathways in CAMHS, and greater clinical capacity for young people with mental health and intellectual disabilities. 

This investment will strengthen access to timely mental health care while also supporting digital mental health services that many young people turn to as a first point of contact for information, signposting and support.

However, mental health does not exist in isolation. Young people’s wellbeing is shaped by the whole world around them, whether they can afford their education, find a secure place to live, get to work and have safe places to connect with others in their community. Through our Text About It service, young people reach out to us about anxiety, stress and loneliness, often alongside worries about housing, education and money. These pressures are deeply connected. 

This is why the wider budget is a missed opportunity for young people. Looking outside of mental health, the wider budget falls short in addressing the pressures young people are facing day to day. We are particularly disappointed by rising public transport fares and the modest €150 reduction in student fees, which will have a direct impact on young people navigating the rising cost of living.

To improve young people’s mental health we need to invest in both the services that support them and the conditions that protect their wellbeing in the first place.