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A message from Matt Dunkley CBE:

8 February 2018 weekly update

8 February 2018

This week, Matt summarises the green paper on transforming children and young people’s mental health provision and shares details of the consultation.

Dear colleagues

Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision

The Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision green paper sets out the government’s ambition to go further in ensuring that those who need it are able to access the right help for their mental health, in the right place and at the right time.

The green paper focuses on earlier intervention and prevention particularly in or linked to schools and colleges.

The proposals include:

  • creating a new mental health workforce of community-based mental health support teams
  • every school and college will be encouraged to appoint a designated lead for mental health
  • a new 4-week waiting time for NHS children and young people’s mental health services to be piloted in some areas.

The proposals will affect:

  • pupils, students and staff at schools and colleges
  • specialist mental health services
  • families and communities.

A quick read version of the green paper is also available.

All young people deserve the best start in life. But too often, young people with a mental health problem are not able to fulfil their potential. Mental ill-health costs individuals, and society, dearly. And we know that adults with mental ill-health are likely to have already experienced mental health problems in their childhood or adolescence.

People with mental health problems have too often in the past experienced unfair discrimination and poor treatment. One in ten young people has some form of diagnosable mental health condition and we know that children with a mental health problem face unequal chances in their lives, particularly where childhood mental health issues continue into adulthood.

Consultation

The government is asking people for their views on the green paper and I would invite colleagues in schools, Early Years settings and colleges; or anybody linked to children and young people to complete the consultation before it closes at midday on 2 March 2018.

The government are welcoming all responses to the consultation, including from those who have experience of mental ill-health or know someone close to them who has such experience. I would ask you to share the consultation with your colleagues; and children and young people that you work with, care for and teach, to ensure as many views are heard as possible.

Matt Dunkley CBE
Corporate Director
Children, Young People and Education