Speaking at the annual National Children and Adult Services conference in Harrogate, Burnham said that all too often local authorities and health services are engaged in “meaningless arguments” over who benefits financially from investment in early intervention.
“No single agency has an incentive to invest in early intervention, even though we all know the evidence,” he told delegates.
“The consequences of this ‘pick up the pieces’ approach to public spending can be seen in many different ways.
“Around seven of every 10 young people in the criminal justice system suffer from an undiagnosed mental health problem.
“The failure to prioritise prevention is becoming a crisis of the 21st century.”
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