The number of children being referred for mental health support rose during the first year of the pandemic as more youngsters were living in poverty, a new report has revealed.
Hundreds of school pupils were identified as needing help in towns across East Lothian as Covid restrictions were introduced - with the numbers highest in the poorest areas.
And the council's head of children's service Judith Tait said an increase in poverty was not just down to the pandemic - but caused because benefits were not enough for parents to feed their families.
