Youth charities issue mental health improvements plea to politicians
Joe Lepper
Thursday, February 1, 2024
A coalition of charities supporting children and young people are calling on politicians of all parties to commit to improvements in mental health support ahead of this year’s general election.
Members of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition have issued the plea to improve support for the around one in five young people in the UK who have a mental health problem.
An estimated three quarters of young people in need of support face delays getting help, which is worsening their mental health, the coalition warns.
In their policy manifesto, charities are calling for an extra £1.7bn of funding to support young people from birth to 25 and to back a ‘whole school’ approach to helping children with mental health issues.
Backing for early intervention and a national roll out of support hubs in all areas is another recommendation the coalition is calling for.
It also wants to see the 1983 Mental Health Act overhauled to better protect young people’s rights and ensure they “receive high quality and compassionate care”.
Coalition members include youth organisation No Limits, which runs early support services in Hampshire.
“We see first-hand the growing need and increasing complexities of young people’s mental health needs,” said No Limits chief executive Natalie Webb.
“It is vital that this issue is tackled by the next government, so we wholeheartedly support the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition’s manifesto.”
Other coalition members include Young Minds and the National Children’s Bureau.
A consensus on "ensuring that all babies, children and young people grow up in a society that prioritises and protects their mental health and wellbeing,” is urgently needed, states the coalition’s manifesto.
The coalition also cites the long-term savings of investing in mental health support early to prevent problems in later life.
“Experiencing mental health difficulties in childhood or adolescence can have a significant impact across the life course," it states.
“It has been shown to substantially affect young people’s educational outcomes, earnings, employment, ability to maintain relationships and likelihood of engaging in risk-taking behaviour.
“The human and financial costs of failing to support young people are high and undermine our health as a society.”
