In early 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May signalled her intention to make children's mental health a key priority by announcing the government would publish a new policy paper on the issue. The green paper, Transforming Children and Young People's Mental Health Provision, published last December, includes a range of measures largely focused on detecting children's mental health problems earlier and improving the speed at which young people receive assessment and treatment.
The government acted amid mounting evidence that the number of children with mental ill health is growing, and that more needs to be done to tackle problems earlier to prevent them escalating to the point where they need specialist interventions.
Campaigners have also raised concerns over the ability of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adequately meet this rising demand, even with additional funding coming into the system to deliver the 2015 Future in Mind strategy.
For CYP Now's special report on children's mental health, sector leaders analyse key policy trends arising from the green paper and other recent developments shaping CAMHS and practice on the ground.
Meanwhile, Research in Practice summarises findings from recent key research studies, and four practice examples showcase innovative approaches in working to support the mental health needs of children and young people across a range of settings.
Click the links below for more:
Children's Mental Health - Policy context
Children's Mental Health - Research evidence:
Trauma-informed Social Work Practice: Practice Considerations and Challenges
Applying the Recovery Approach to the Interface Between Mental Health and Child Protection Services
Transitioning Care Leavers With Mental Health Needs: 'They Set You Up to Fail!'
Disorganized Attachment in Infancy: A Review of the Phenomenon and its Implications for Clinicians and Policy-Makers
Children's Mental Health - Practice Examples:
Right Here
Music in Mind
Cove Care
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