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One in 10 children suffers from depression, anxiety or another diagnosable mental health problem, and 75% of mental illness starts before the age of 18. Official figures from NHS Digital show admissions for under-18s self-harm have been increasing for five years in a row. Adding to it an estimated £105bn costs every year on mental ill health, prioritising children’s mental health is essential.
The Government’s Children and Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce launched Future in Mind in 2015, endorsed by NHS England’s own five-year plan for mental health. Extra funding of £250m each year until 2020 was designated to implement its core principles and to make a significant shift towards the prevention of ill health and the integration of services working with schools to strengthen resilience and improve support before health deteriorates.
However, according to The Commission on Children and Young People’s Mental Health’s final report, Time to Deliver, in the first year of the promised investment, only £143m was released instead of the £250m expected. Mental health providers have reported that the money failed to reach frontline services, with many still seeing cuts to their budgets. The Government for this new financial year has pledged to invest in child and adolescent mental health services with £140 million of NHS funding allocated to clinical commissioning groups. However, Royal College of Psychiatrists’ analysis says NHS bodies in some areas are spending little more than £2 per child despite surging demand on services.
Following the Future in Mind report, we know what an effective and modern children’s mental health service should look like, and we have a roadmap for how to get there. Now is everyone’s responsibility to deliver on it so that all young people receive the support they need to flourish and achieve their full potential.
Join us at Children and Young People’s Mental Health: Taking Early Action to hear practical advice and guidance that will help you to improve access and outcomes, reduce inequality and implement The Five Forward View principles across Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).