Labour leader Ed Miliband has vowed to end the ‘neglect’ of children’s mental health services in the UK.
He stated that: “Taking action to improve mental health is essential if we are to thrive as a nation and ensure the NHS remains sustainable.” If elected, a Labour government will aim to address key issues in the children’s mental health service, and increase the amount from the national mental health budget that is spent on children and young people. They will prioritise reducing waiting times for children who need talking therapies, and make it possible for every child to have access to a counsellor when they need it. Miliband also plans to place a focus on preventative measures, and encourage and support teachers to play a larger role in identifying students who are suffering from mental health issues.
His comments come after the recent revelation that funding for children’s mental health services has dropped by 6% since the coalition government took control in 2010. Cuts to services mean that the demand for care is not being met despite mental health issues amongst children becoming increasingly prevalent; recent figures published by the government revealed that 1 in 10 children aged between five and 16 have a diagnosed mental health problem. Additionally, an investigation by the BBC revealed that a lack of funding meant that children were having to be treated on adult wards, and that some patients had to travel hundreds of miles to receive the appropriate treatment.
Mental health services for children have also been affected by cuts at the local council level; the charity Young Minds discovered last year that half of councils in England had either cut or frozen their allocated budgets for children’s mental health care under the coalition government.
In response to the criticisms, the coalition government argue that they are investing £150m in services for young people who need treatment for self-harm or eating disorders. They also announced last year that they plan to introduce a national waiting time for people with mental health problems.
Amanda Adeola, one of our family solicitors comments; ‘Different factors can contribute to a child or young person’s mental health and it is disheartening to see that the vulnerable children in our communities are not being given the help and support that they need. Funding should be increased and support should be readily accessible to provide all children and young people with this very important service. I hope that in light of these recent statistics, the government will take action and provide more funding for mental health services.’