{"id":21083,"date":"2021-01-28T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/?p=477182"},"modified":"2021-01-28T00:01:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T00:01:00","slug":"hundreds-of-thousands-of-children-left-without-mental-health-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/01\/28\/hundreds-of-thousands-of-children-left-without-mental-health-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of thousands of children \u2018left without mental health help\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mental health services are \u201cnowhere near\u201d to meeting the needs of hundreds of thousands of children struggling through the coronavirus pandemic, the Children\u2019s Commissioner has warned.<\/p>\n<p>Anne Longfield said there have been some improvements but a lack of ambition from the government is hindering progress.<\/p>\n<p>It is the commissioner\u2019s fourth annual report on the state of children\u2019s mental health services in England.<\/p>\n<p>She said the research, which\u00a0largely covers the year up to\u00a0March 2020, reveals a system without the \u201cnecessary capacity or flexibility\u201d to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201ccocktail of risks and stresses\u201d associated with the outbreak, affecting education, friendships and home life, appears to have taken a \u201cvery heavy toll\u201d on some children, she added.<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START PA Quote --><\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"pa-embed\" data-type=\"quote\" data-quote=\"The sad truth is that, in spite of progress, services are still nowhere near meeting the level of need and hundreds of thousands of children are being left without help as a result\" data-source=\"Anne Longfield, Children's Commissioner\"><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/content-embed.pressassociation.com\/embeds.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/figure>\n<p><!-- EMBED END PA Quote --><\/p>\n<p>A large\u00a0NHS\u00a0study\u00a0in\u00a0July 2020\u00a0found that\u00a0one\u00a0in\u00a0six\u00a0children have a probable mental health condition, up from one in nine in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Longfield said the current lockdown and school closures are causing more damage to some children\u2019s well-being which could last \u201cpotentially for years to come\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>She said the government must set out how schools can reopen in the coming weeks, adding: \u201cIn the longer term, the Government\u2019s \u2018building back better\u2019 plans must include a rocket boost in funding for children\u2019s mental health, to expand services and eliminate the postcode lottery.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs an absolute minimum, all schools should be provided with an NHS-funded counsellor, either in school or online.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have seen how the NHS has risen to the scale of the Covid crisis for adults. We owe children, who are suffering the secondary consequences of the pandemic, a mental health service that provides the help and support they need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Longfield said provision before the pandemic struck was already insufficient, access was improving but not fast enough, and spending, while rising, was \u201chighly variable\u201d and inadequate.<\/p>\n<p>In the year before the pandemic, referrals to children\u2019s mental health services increased by 35% while the number of children accessing treatment increased by just 4%.<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START Image --><\/p>\n<figure id=\"embedded257754442\"><img src=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/837a657ff1652a851b382588002e3e60Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNjExODYwNDYz\/2.57754442.jpg?w=640\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/837a657ff1652a851b382588002e3e60Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNjExODYwNDYz\/2.57754442.jpg?w=320 320w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/837a657ff1652a851b382588002e3e60Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNjExODYwNDYz\/2.57754442.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/image.assets.pressassociation.io\/v2\/image\/production\/837a657ff1652a851b382588002e3e60Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaCwxNjExODYwNDYz\/2.57754442.jpg?w=1280 1280w\" alt=\"Children playing\" data-title=\"Disadvantaged children\" data-copyright-holder=\"PA Wire\" data-copyright-notice=\"PA Wire\/PA Images\" data-credit=\"Gareth Fuller\" data-usage-terms=\"FILE PHOTO\" \/><figcaption>The Government plans to roll out NHS-led counselling in schools to 20-25% of areas by 2023 (PA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!-- EMBED END Image --><\/p>\n<p>She said a\u00a0postcode lottery\u00a0remains\u00a0around\u00a0local areas\u2019\u00a0spending, waiting times, access,\u00a0and how many children are referred to services and go on to receive support.<\/p>\n<p>But she said improving\u00a0NHS specialist\u00a0services is just part of the solution, and is calling for a broader system making use of schools and the voluntary sector.<\/p>\n<p>The Government\u2019s plan to roll out NHS-led counselling in schools to 20-25% of areas by 2023 is not ambitious enough, she believes.<\/p>\n<p>She added: \u201cThe sad truth is that, in spite of progress, services are still nowhere near meeting the level of need and hundreds of thousands of children are being left without help as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She noted that some local areas are improving above and beyond what central government has expected of them, to deliver \u201cvastly improved\u201d services for children.<\/p>\n<p>A Government spokesman said: \u201cThis has been an exceptionally difficult year and we are absolutely committed to supporting the mental wellbeing of children and young people who have been uniquely impacted by this pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEarly intervention and treatment is vital, and we are providing an extra \u00a32.3 billion to help an additional 345,000 children and young people access NHS-funded services or school and college-based support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlongside this, we are training a new dedicated mental health workforce to support children in schools and colleges across the country, as well as giving staff the resources to teach what good mental and physical health looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Imran Hussain, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children, said the government must \u201cwake up\u201d to a mental health crisis threatening to \u201cengulf\u201d a generation.<\/p>\n<p><!-- EMBED START PA Quote --><\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"pa-embed\" data-type=\"quote\" data-quote=\"The Government has to look broader than solely NHS services when it comes to working therapeutically with children and young people struggling with their mental health\" data-source=\"Jo Holmes\"><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/content-embed.pressassociation.com\/embeds.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/figure>\n<p><!-- EMBED END PA Quote --><\/p>\n<p>He said: \u201cNearly a year of lockdowns, fear and anxiety, disruption to education and uncertainty about the future has added to the already shocking numbers of young people who have nowhere to turn\u00a0for\u00a0professional help.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know from our services young people are struggling at home without their usual support networks, having to cope with the pressures of remote learning, family health fears,\u00a0loneliness and pressure in the home \u2013 all the while being bombarded by social media and depressing headlines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Government must commit to adequate funding and specialist services to tackle the surge in demand caused by the pandemic and stop a generation of children from suffering in silence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jo Holmes, children, young people and families lead at the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, said: \u201cThere\u2019s a worryingly large group of children who are missing out on vital mental health support when they need it the most.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve been let down by the Government because of its lack of ambition and failure to invest thoroughly in targeted support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Government has to look broader than solely NHS services when it comes to working therapeutically with children and young people struggling with their mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Royal College of Psychiatrists added that a whole generation could be \u201clost to a lifetime of poverty and mental illness\u201d unless the Government places children and young people at the heart of their policy-making.<\/p>\n<p><!-- TRACKING START GA --><script>(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), 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--><\/p>\n<p>By <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/author\/thecanary\/\">The Canary<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"syndicated-attribution\">This post was originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/uk\/news\/2021\/01\/28\/hundreds-of-thousands-of-children-left-without-mental-health-help\/\">The Canary<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Children\u2019s Commissioner Anne Longfield said there have been improvements but a lack of ambition from the Government is hindering progress.<\/p>\n<p>By <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/author\/thecanary\/\">The Canary<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1541,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1549,338,5640,1244,889,4,1395],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21083"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1541"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21083"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21084,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21083\/revisions\/21084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}