The UK government have announced an expansion of Mental Health Support Teams in schools.
Responding to the government’s announcement, Mark Rowland, Chief Executive at the Mental Health Foundation, said:
“Today's announcement of an expansion of Mental Health Support Teams is a clear signal from the UK government that it understands the need to act early in a way that prevents problems from escalating. Schools are fundamental to giving young people the best possible start in life and building good mental health, and are one of the first opportunities for support when a young person does start to struggle. This investment has been needed for a long time, but we urgently need the government to match its pledges with effective delivery because too many young people are not getting the support they need.
“To be truly effective, this approach must go beyond schools. The NHS has been used as a predominantly treatment-first service for too long, and with the NHS 10-year plan due to be published in the coming months, the government should go further in moving the NHS to a prevention-first model. This will help relieve the burden of treating millions of people we allowed to become unwell with little-to-no intervention. We need to see further investment in interventions that are proven to support the NHS and the economy by reducing problems in the future, like anti-bullying programmes in schools, or programmes to support struggling single-parents in the wider community.
“This announcement comes during Mental Health Awareness Week, which this year is focused on community, and we’d urge the UK government to extend their focus on prevention beyond schools to communities across the country. The government should bring forward a cross-government mental health plan which would make sure all parts of the system, such as benefits, housing, and social care, are set up to protect the nation’s mental health.”