Multi-million-pound investment to support mental health in children

As part of the government’s commitment to transforming mental health care – backed by an extra £2.3 billion a year through the NHS Long Term Plan – Mental Health Minister Nadine Dorries and Public Health Minister Jo Churchill today announce an investment of a further £3.3 million in 23 local community projects across England.

Earlier this year the government pledged to overhaul society’s approach to mental illness through better access to education, training and support across communities. This included a commitment to train all teachers to spot the signs of mental illness in children, making sure they can intervene before issues escalate.

The funding will allow more children and young people aged 25 and under to access local services to support their mental health, with early intervention for those at risk of mental health problems. The projects have an emphasis on improving access to support outside of NHS services, including for groups such as LGBT young people or those from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

Responding to today’s Government announcement of investment in projects to support children and young people’s mental health, Sean Duggan, chief executive of the Mental Health Network, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said:

“Supporting the mental health of our young people is one of the most important things our society can do.

“Headteachers say pupil wellbeing and mental health is one of their top concerns and evidence shows that 75 per cent of mental health issues are established by the age of 24, so early care has the potential to transform so many lives and allow young people to reach their full potential.

“The Mental Health Network has a diverse membership, including many not-for-profit organisations that provide amazing, personalised care to people in their local communities, such as Place2Be, which works closely with schools and York Mind.

“We recognise that often the best place to receive mental health support is not in a hospital or formal clinical setting so the range of community-based schemes backed today is very encouraging and we will need to see these schemes supported long into the future beyond the one-year funding announced today.”

Projects receiving funding include:

• LifeLine Community Projects in Barking and Dagenham will receive over £298,000 to expand their work with young people most at risk of poor mental health, with preventative support to stop problems escalating and reduce pressure on NHS services
• York Mind will receive £50,000 to expand their Arts Award programme, which connects young people to the arts, enabling them to increase their skills, confidence, sense of identity and reduce isolation, alongside one-to-one support
• The Proud Trust’s Peer Support Project in Manchester will receive over £23,000 to support more LGBT young people through life-changing events, including discovering their sexuality/gender and coming out

The funding will come from the Health and Wellbeing Fund, part of a programme of government investment in the voluntary sector. The projects will be fully funded through the scheme in their first year and additional joint funding from local commissioners will be agreed for 2 years afterwards.

Mental health services are being transformed through the NHS Long Term Plan so that 345,000 more children and young people have access to mental health support by 2024, including via mental health support teams in and around schools. This will significantly improve early intervention and prevention.

This funding boost follows last summer’s funding increase to the NHS budget, which will see the health service receive an extra £33.9 billion more every year by 2024 to support the NHS Long Term Plan.

Minister for Mental Health Nadine Dorries said:

“We know children and young people today face many pressures at home and in their social and academic lives but giving them easily accessible mental health support at an early age can help them thrive later in life.

“That’s why the government is investing billions every year to transform mental health care, and giving more money to innovative, community-led projects run by people who have chosen to dedicate their lives to supporting young people by providing them with the tools and means they need to manage their own mental health.”

Minister for Public Health Jo Churchill said:

“It’s only right that children and young people are able to access mental health support, not only through the NHS, but in the heart of their communities, schools and homes where they spend the majority of their time.

“The voluntary sector has a hugely important role to play in delivering these kinds of services and our Health and Wellbeing Fund is leading the way in ensuring government plays a role in cultivating the most effective, innovative and successful forms of community support – backed by an extra £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to improve NHS mental health services too.”

Kathy Roberts, CEO – Association of Mental Health Providers, said:

“The NHS Long Term Plan made a number of promises for mental health in the next 10 years, including the much-needed scaling up and improvement of support for children and young people.

“The voluntary sector has a key role in transforming mental health care and offers a range of support for children and young people. The sector is innovative, has reached into communities, and there is huge potential to expand and scale up its offer. Association of Mental Health Providers, therefore, welcomes the Health and Wellbeing Fund’s focus on this important area and the funding of 23 exceptional voluntary and community sector projects.”