Call to expand school mental health support as pupil wellbeing worsens

Writing in CYP Now, Barnardo’s director of health Rukshana Kapasi has backed calls made earlier this year by the Commission on Young Lives to speed up the roll out of the teams so that all children in need can access support.

She warns that under the current plans just a third of pupils will have access to support from a MHST. This leaves five million children locked out of support from the teams. 

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Worsening children’s mental health, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, is exacerbating demand, added Barnardo’s.

Its research found that “unmet mental health and wellbeing needs” is the primary reason for pupils missing school. This was cited in January by three quarters of the charity’s workers.

In addition, nine in ten of the charity’s staff reported an increase in mental health issues among children and parents last year, compared to seven in ten in 2020.

This escalation in mental health problems is backed by Royal College of Psychiatrists analysis of official figures that show that between April and June last year there was a 134 per cent increase in referrals to child and adolescent mental health services.

Kapasi is concerned that despite this escalation in demand, investment in children’s mental health totals just 0.7 per cent of the total budget for NHS England.

“We know from our work that early intervention and support is vital,” said Kapasi.

“But many children and young people are currently unable to access school-based mental health support.”

She added: “The pandemic exposed children and young people to significant trauma, adversity, and loss, with implications for their long-term mental health and wellbeing. We must act now to ensure our children and young people can bounce back from this crisis, before it becomes too late.”

In May the government rejected calls from MPs to ensure post-pandemic catch up support focuses on improving pupils’ mental health.

The Department for Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.