Why investing in children’s mental health will unlock economic growth
The decline in young people’s mental health is one of the biggest health, social and economic challenges of our time. After a sharp rise in recent years, more than one in five children and young people in England now has a diagnosable mental health problem. Despite this, the NHS is only able to support around 40% of those in need and fewer still are getting the right care for them.
As well as the huge human cost, this crisis is holding back the Government’s growth plans. Our analysis shows that the impact of childhood mental health problems leads to £1 trillion in lost earnings across the generation. Alongside Centre for Young Lives, the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, and YoungMinds, with the support of the Prudence Trust, we have launched Future Minds, a report and campaign urging the Government to deliver urgent reform and investment to boost children’s mental health services in its forthcoming Spending Review and 10 Year NHS Plan. Our calls are backed by an additional 35 leading mental health and children and young people’s organisations.
Future Minds finds that the current lack of capacity in the mental health system means far too many young people reach crisis point, putting pressure on emergency, urgent and crisis services. The immediate and long-term costs of inaction are far greater than the investment we could make now in cost-effective interventions that can help to turn the tide.
We are calling for the Government to commit to the following actions:
- Increased investment in children and young people’s mental health services, with a commitment to meeting 70% of diagnosable need by the end of this Parliament.
- The full rollout of Mental Health Support Teams by the end of this Parliament, with a commitment to adapt the model to meet a broader range of need.
- The delivery of open access mental health services for children and young people in every community, initially through the Young Futures programme.
- A comprehensive children and young people’s mental health workforce plan.
- An independent Government-commissioned rapid review to examine the causes of the rise in prevalence in children and young people’s mental health, and the ways in which our mental health system can respond better.
- Increased local government funding to support investment in prevention and early intervention.
This cannot wait. We must see investing in children’s mental health as an investment in the future of our society – a future we cannot afford to jeopardise. By addressing this challenge now, the Government has an opportunity to create a mentally healthier future for all.
