The Government’s proposed Green Paper on young people’s mental health lacks any ambition and will provide no help to the majority of those children who desperately need it.
This is according to a May 2018 report by the Health and Social Care Committee on the Government’s Green Paper on young people’s mental health.
The Committee have published a social story alongside the report, which states:
- Half of all mental health conditions first occur by age 14, and three quarters by age 24
- One in ten young people have a diagnosable mental health condition
- One third of 18 year olds drop out of mental health support rather than transfer to adult services.
The report states that the Government’s Green Paper has a narrow scope and fails to consider how to prevent mental health difficulties in the first place. It calls for a strategy around prevention and root causes.
It recommends the Government gathers independent evidence on the impacts of exam pressure and social media on young people’s mental health. Also needed is an assessment of transition services between youth and adulthood.
The Government has two months to respond to the report.
Read the social story or Read the full report.
