Tag: Child mental health

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Mental health support plan for young people

Mental Health Support Teams

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Health Secretary Wes Streeting have announced a new initiative to provide mental health support teams in schools. Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme on 16 May, Phillipson explained the scheme is part of a £49m investment to hire 8500 additional NHS mental health practitioners by 2029-2030.

Also writing a joint article in the Daily Telegraph, the pair emphasised the importance of instilling “grit” in students. Phillipson argued that this quality is essential for overcoming life’s obstacles and achieving academic success. With twenty percent of young people facing mental health issues annually, the need for such initiatives is pressing.

‘Youth today encounter numerous challenges’ she remarked, acknowledging how some issues differ significantly from those she experienced. She also highlighted the pandemic’s impact on young people, particularly during pivotal moments in their lives.

Building Resilience

Introducing NHS-supported, evidence-based interventions during critical developmental stages is seen as crucial for building resilience and preventing future mental health crises. Phillipson believes providing young people with access to trained, qualified professionals is the right thing to do, noting the direct correlation between mental health and school attendance.

The Secretary of State applauded the growing openness about mental health among both young people and adults. ‘It’s good that we can talk about it,’ she said, ‘but it’s about supporting people to navigate these challenges.’ She stressed the government should provide support, while also emphasising the role of community in helping individuals manage these issues.

‘Everyone experiences mental health challenges,’ Phillipson concluded, ‘and if these issues are not addressed in young people, the consequences can be severe and lifelong, potentially hindering their academic performance and overall well-being.’

School Counselling in England

Access to improved mental health services and counselling interventions for young people is to be welcomed and has long been called for by Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza. As highlighted in an earlier post, it has also been the focus of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) through their ‘School Counselling in England’ Campaign. Details laying out how extra practitioners will work alongside their colleagues in education are still to emerge.

More information about the scheme can be found on Gov.UK

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A counsellor in every school in England

BACP campaigns for a counsellor in every school

Back in March 2021 Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza appealed for every child to have access to therapy, highlighted by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) through their ‘School Counselling in England’ Campaign. Recognising that England lagged behind similar government funded schemes in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, BACP urged people to sign its petition.

In an update issued January 2025, BACP has briefed the current generation of MPs about their ongoing campaign. It hopes to keep the issue at the forefront of a strategy to tackle mental health concerns in England, and to secure funding for registered counsellors.

You can learn about the next steps in this important campaign to provide every school, academy, and FE College with a paid counsellor on the BACP website.

My original 2021 post can be found below:

Children’s Commissioner wants to rebuild childhood

Dame Rachel’s comments fit within her wider call on the BBC website to ‘rebuild childhood’ following the pandemic. After ‘seeing first-hand the effect of this crisis on young people’s hopes and dreams’, Dame Rachel asserts that sometimes our responses have not been good enough. She is urging policy makers to seize this moment in history, and to restructure our offer to children with the same spirit and ambition as the Beveridge report in 1942. This report went on to form the basis of the modern Welfare State in the UK after the end of World War Two, and it was as ambitious as it was popular, possibly because it was built on around individual responsibility as well as state intervention.

COVID-19 lost generation

It’s too early to see if anything so positive and transformational will emerge from the current crisis, although the Children’s Commissioner has already spoken of her commitment to ensuring there isn’t a ‘lost generation’ because of COVID. As well as calling for no reduction in Universal Credit, and the provision of free school meals through the summer holidays, Dame Rachel announced the launch of a ‘Big Ask’. This survey will gather the views and opinions of children’s reactions to the pandemic, as well as other barriers to achievement.

If you would like to know more about therapy, or you are looking for private counselling in Wolverhampton, Walsall, or the West Midlands area please Contact Me or call 07824 385338.

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NSPCC launches campaign to help children with suicidal thoughts

Childline charity is contacted 67 times each day by children with suicidal thoughts and feelings

The NSPCC revealed this week there’s been a sharp rise in the number of under 11s contacting its Childline support service for help with thoughts of despair, including suicide. Although most of the twenty-four thousand young people who called the charity in 2108/19 were teenagers, the NSPCC reported an almost 90% increase in the number of under 11s using Childline compared with the previous three years.

For children with suicidal thoughts contacting the charity, the most common underlying issues were linked to difficult family relationships and problems at school or college. Some callers were aware of the negative impact to their mental health and how this could manifest as self-harm (read last week’s post about Self-Injury Awareness Day), a growing issue with young people.

To help combat this trend, the NSPCC announced the launch of a new campaign called KIDS in Real Life. They are asking the public to help them improve the mental health of children, especially in the online space where there are more ways for abuse, bullying and harm to occur than a generation ago. The charity is asking people to join in with their Pledge to Protect and if possible, to support Childline’s important work in providing a service to kids in times of crisis, by making a donation. Please follow the links if you think you can help.