Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Sandra McDougall points to efforts to improve access to talking therapies.

Children need to be assured about confidentiality if they are to be encouraged to come forward, Amy Woodhouse from Children in Scotland.

SNP MSP Kate Forbes asks what could be done better to promote a first port of call for young people.

Ms Woodhouse says more could be done with primary care in terms of engagement with young people.

Young people's clinics are held up as a positive example.

We also need to go to where children and young people are, and not expect them to come to you she states.

Alice Ferguson MSYP agrees and calls for early intervention to be considered more.

Image source, bbc

Denisha Killoh from Who Cares? Scotland says care experienced children are just like any other children.

Ms Killoh explains care experienced kids just can't get access to things like sport, particularly if they are in a residential unit.

There are institutional constraints that prevent children in care accessing things.

They do not have the same opportunities as other kids, says Ms Killoh.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton wonders whether care support team which follows care experienced young people throughout their lives would be helpful.

Ms Killoh agrees this would have been useful for her.

Nicki Wray from Barnardo's Scotland explains a disconnect between different services is part of the problem so a single point of contact would be a positive move.

Denisha Killoh says leaving care is often viewed as the best option but this is not always the case.

She argues we need to make care positive enough that people do not necessarily want to leave as soon as possible.

Children in Scotland's Amy Woodhouse tells the committee there are opportunities for care experienced young people to meet with local authorities.

The care review is also highlighted which Ms Woodhouse says it being led by young people.

Denisha Killoh from Who Cares? Scotland highlights how few people young people know what a corporate parent is.

Image source, bbc

Denisha Killoh from Who Cares? Scotland says people like herself who have care experience are "a hidden group in society".

Ms Killoh accepts there have been improvements in local authorities in terms of sport for example.

However she says she feels she was let down by her local authority.

Ms Killoh explains she was adopted at four years old and the local authority stopped being involved in her life.

She says the local authority never checked on her when she moved into kinship care with her brother and sister, when her mother died.

Ms Killoh states not enough progress has been made and local authorities have to look at every aspect of care and not just decide one day they can stop being a parent.

Ailsa Wylie from sportscotland points to a Scottish government report on access to physical activity which took the views of the young person's sports panel into account.

This then led to the creation of the strategy, she explains.

We are also seeing a lot of movement with young person's sports panels at the local level too, Ms Wylie adds.

Image source, bbc

Sandra McDougall representing Healthcare Improvement Scotland says young people responding to a survey felt they should be involved but did not feel their voice was always listened to.

Ms McDougall points out there is good practice out there but there are areas that need to be strengthened.

Convener Lewis Macdonald begins with a question on whether young people's views are heard within the health services.

Alice Ferguson MSYP says young people often do not know how to feed in though she commends the committee for its efforts today.

Amy Woodhouse from Children in Scotland says all public services are obligations to take the views of young people into account.

The extent to how much this has been embedded in the culture varies vastly between organisations though, Ms Woodhouse adds.

She expresses concern that engagement is sometimes tokenistic and actual influence is questionable.

Image source, bbc

The Health Committee, external convener Lewis Macdonald introduces:

• Nicki Wray from Barnardo's Scotland, external
• Alice Ferguson MSYP from the Scottish Youth Parliament, external
• Denisha Killoh from Who Cares? Scotland, external
• Ailsa Wyllie from sportscotland, external
• Sandra McDougall representing Healthcare Improvement Scotland, external
• Lynn Bell, founder/Director of Love Learning Scotland, representing the Scottish Children's Services Coalition, external
• Amy Woodhouse from Children in Scotland, external

Read the committee papers and submissions here., external

Image source, Getty Images

The Health Committee , externalwill shortly take evidence on the views and interests of young people and their influence on health and sport policy:

• Nicki Wray from Barnardo's Scotland, external
• Alice Ferguson MSYP from the Scottish Youth Parliament, external
• Denisha Killoh from Who Cares? Scotland, external
• Ailsa Wyllie from sportscotland, external
• Sandra McDougall representing Healthcare Improvement Scotland, external
• Lynn Bell, founder/Director of Love Learning Scotland, representing the Scottish Children's Services Coalition, external
• Amy Woodhouse from Children in Scotland, external

Read the committee papers and submissions here., external

Good morning and welcome to Holyrood Live on Tuesday 26 June 2018.

It's the year of young people and the health committee will take evidence from a variety of witnesses, including Who Cares? Scotland and the Scottish Youth Parliament, on how young people can contribute to health policy.

Image source, BBC/PA

After topical questions on ScotRail punctuality and Heathrow, the Scottish government will have the final debate on Brexit of this session entitled ‘Defending the powers of the Scottish parliament’.

Then it’s the first of two parliamentary happy birthdays for our NHS, as Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard uses a member’s debate to celebrate the UK’s favourite institution.