Government Policies on Children and Young People’s Mental Health – UK
A document that outlines the policies and strategies on Children and Young People’s Mental Health in the UK, in England specifically. It talks about the policy, ‘No Health without Mental Health’, 2011, which sets out plans to improve mental health outcomes for people of all ages. The Implementation Framework described how different bodies, including schools, should work to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
It also outlines the ‘Closing the Gap: priorities for essential change in mental health’ policy which provides information on key areas for immediate change to improve mental health care, including supporting schools to identify mental health problems sooner through guidance from the Department of Health.
Furthermore, it details relevant strategies, funding and reports thereafter, such as the ‘Future in Mind’ report, 2015, which sets out objectives for the Government to meet by 2020, including tackling stigma and improving attitudes towards mental health illness, and the ‘Five Year Forward View for Mental Health’ published in 2016.
In January 2017, the Government announced a series of reforms to improve mental health, emphasising the importance of early intervention for children and young people and including offering mental health first aid training to every secondary school in the country, and the publishing of a green paper on transforming mental health services in schools, and other educational settings.
It also details the ‘NHS Long Term Plan’, 2019, which sets out key priorities for the NHS over the next 10 years, and which includes the importance of the NHS working with schools to embed mental health services for young people.
Finally, in 2022, the Government launched a discussion paper and call for evidence to inform a new 10-year plan for youth mental health and wellbeing in England.
DATA
- CategoryPolicy papers
- CountryUnited Kingdom
- LanguageEnglish
- Type of resourceDocument