CYP Now - Mental health reforms can't wait until 2023

After all the talking and all the waiting it was great to finally see the green paper on children's mental health published in December. But it was like unwrapping a Christmas gift from someone who doesn't know you very well: you're excited to get anything, grateful they thought of you, then disappointed that you didn't get exactly what you wanted.

The excitement came from the things I didn't think would be included, like the Mental Health Support Teams that will be under clinical supervision and will link to schools and colleges to help young people with mild to moderate needs.

This should provide a lifeline for the thousands of children caught in the middle ground, whose needs are beyond the means of schools but don't reach the threshold for specialist services.

I am also grateful that the government heard the call for dedicated senior leads on mental health in schools to make the links with local mental health services so that they can provide rapid advice, consultation and signposting.

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