29.02.12
£22m boost for young people’s mental health
The Government is investing an extra £22m into mental health for young people, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is set to announce. This will include expanding psychological ‘talking’ therapies and increasing training for those who work with young people.
Recent research suggests that 1 in 10 children aged 5-16 experience mental health problems. As part of the strategy on mental health, the IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) programme will be expanded to help train social workers, counsellors and teachers.
Clegg will say: “Too many young people suffer in silence with mental health problems. This is vital investment that will give children the very best tailored treatment to restore them to good health, so that their illnesses are not simply swept under the carpet.
“Mental health must have the same priority as physical health. Giving children the treatment they need as soon as they need it will help ensure that millions of children suffering from a mental health problem will have a fairer opportunity to succeed in life.”
Paul Burstow, the Liberal Democrat care services minister, said: “This pioneering work will focus on early and effective treatment. We know psychological therapies work. Our aim is to transform existing mental health services for children so our children get the best treatment possible, from services that are more responsive to their needs.”
Barbara McIntosh, head of Children and Young People’s Programmes at the Mental Health Foundation, said: “We are pleased that the skills and experience of NHS clinicians will be extended, as delivering psychological therapies to children and young people requires a very different skill set than that required to deliver such therapies to adults.
“It is equally important that professionals such as teachers, social workers and counsellors also receive training as awareness of mental health and child development is essential for both nurturing good wellbeing and identifying mental health problems early.
However, she warned that these services must take young people’s views into account, and that this is not a fix-all solution to mental health difficulties. McIntosh said: “We must remember that this is not ‘job done’.”
Barbara Rayment, vice-chair of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC), added: “We are keen to see how the provision of a range of psychological therapies outside of clinical health settings and in to a wider range of locations will offer children and young people greater choice. We want to ensure children and young people are given information that helps them choose the therapy and setting that is right for them.”
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