How do we solve a wicked issue? Wicked issues are big, adaptive problems that need lots of resource to solve, and co-ordinated national, local and community action. I would put children's mental health in this category.
As a commissioner, we would want to start by looking at some of the statistics about the service quality, volume, needs and outcomes to help create a sort of national joint strategic needs assessment.
Just think for a moment about the life experience of all the children and young people affected by mental ill health.
We have services that can deal with only one in 10 of the potential demand; we spend 14 times more money on adult mental health, but most of the need is there by the time a young person is 18; and children suffer with symptoms on average 10 years before they get help (see graphics).
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