CYP Now - Teachers raise alarm over lack of mental health support in schools

Teachers are concerned over a lack of access to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in schools, with 92 per cent saying their school either has not enough or no access to provision.

Teachers say a lack of mental health services is a barrier to supporting pupil wellbeing. Picture: Daisy Daisy/Adobe Stock

The findings, from a National Education Union (NEU) survey of over 18,000 union members, indicate that 66 per cent of teachers and 57 per cent of learning support assistants believe their school, college or nursery does not provide enough access to CAMHS for students.

A quarter of teachers and a third of support staff said that their place of education had no access to CAMHS support for students, the report finds.

Around half added that their setting had no access to a school nurse, trained mental health first aider, or senior mental health lead.

Respondents cited a lack of access to external support services – such as CAMHS, specialist SEND assessment and educational psychologists – as a major barrier to supporting pupil mental health.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included