Episode 32: Erin Erwin – Burns Survivor & Mental Health Advocate
Erin Erwin shares her powerful journey from surviving a house fire to becoming an advocate for mental health, disability inclusion, and anti-discrimination. This episode explores resilience, trauma recovery, and the importance of support systems.Â
Non-Recent Child Sexual Abuse: RCPsych Apologises, Now What?
This week, the Royal College of Psychiatrists apologised, directly and publicly, to adult survivors of non-recent child sexual abuse, for decades of NHS mental health care that too often did more harm than good. Professional bodies rarely do this. In a new position statement, PS04/26, published on 26 August, the College has acknowledged that mental […]
Episode 31: Professor Siobhan O’Neill – Mental Health Champion NI
In this episode, we explore the challenges and opportunities in Northern Ireland’s mental health system, featuring Professor Siobhan O’Neill. We discuss funding gaps, workforce issues, trauma legacy, and innovative service models, aiming to shed light on how to improve mental health support and reduce stigma.
Northern Ireland Mental Health Waiting Times: The Department of Health Just Told Us It Isn’t Publishing Them, and Then Missed Its Own Promise to Start
Why we filed the FOI On Tuesday 30 June 2026, JustMental launched the 107 a Day campaign, calling for the establishment of a 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Response Team in each of Northern Ireland’s five Health and Social Care Trust areas. The campaign was built around figures placed on the public record by Assistant Chief […]
Northern Ireland Mental Health Strategy ‘Will Never Be Delivered’Â
Northern Ireland’s Mental Health Champion Says the Strategy Will Never Be Fully Delivered The Northern Ireland Mental Health Strategy will never be delivered in full, according to the woman appointed to champion it. Professor Siobhán O’Neill, Mental Health Champion for Northern Ireland since 2020, told JustMentalTalk host Karl Bennett that six years after
Meta Child Safety Settlement: $17 Billion Changes Big Tech
Meta child safety settlement: $17 billion, and the design changes it forces The Meta child safety settlement announced this week is the biggest of its kind in history, and, unusually for these stories, the money may be the least important part of it. On Wednesday 26 August 2026, Meta agreed to a proposed settlement of […]
Robbie Butler Health Minister: What Changes Now?
Robbie Butler Confirmed as Northern Ireland’s Health Minister: What It Means for Mental Health Robbie Butler MLA has been confirmed as Northern Ireland’s new Health Minister, a week after Mike Nesbitt resigned from the role. Robbie Butler Health Minister appointments don’t happen often mid-mandate, and this one arrived fast: Nesbitt quit on Tuesday 1
Meta social media trial: 29 states, a federal court, and a reckoning over children’s mental health
The Meta social media trial that opened this week in Oakland is the moment years of warnings finally reached a federal courtroom, and it should matter to every parent, on either side of the Atlantic. On Tuesday 18 August 2026, opening statements began in a landmark case brought by California on behalf of 29 states, […]
Children witnessing domestic abuse: the trauma that can last a lifetime
The harm done to children witnessing domestic abuse doesn’t stop when the shouting does, and new figures show more adults than ever are worried about it. The NSPCC, whose UK Helpline is based here in Belfast, has reported that contacts about a child experiencing domestic abuse have reached their highest level since records began: 8,448 […]