A report has been published by Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England – a report looking at the amount spent on “low-level” mental health support for children in England.
“Low-level” mental health services are preventative and early intervention services for treating problems like anxiety and depression or eating disorders, such as support provided by school nurses or counsellors, drop-in centres or online counselling services. These services are vital for offering early help to children suffering from mental health problems and can often prevent conditions developing into much more serious illnesses.
The Children’s Commissioner’s research is the first time any organisation has collected data to show how much is being spent by areas in England on low level mental health. It reveals that local areas, which included both local authorities and NHS spending, allocated a total of £226 million for low-level mental health services in 2018/19, just over £14 per child.
Read the full report https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/2019/04/10/over-a-third-of-local-areas-in-england-reduce-real-terms-spending-on-low-level-childrens-mental-health-services/