More support is needed to combat youth anxiety, depression and low self-esteem, say Greens
The Green Group of Councillors are urging the Council to press for
greater resources to boost mental health support for children and young people
at school.
Greens say that the positive work already delivered by schools and local mental
health partnerships is impeded by a lack of resources and inadequate funding
from central Government.
Around 15% of 14-16 year olds in Brighton and Hove say they often have suicidal
thoughts, and the number of 10-24 year olds admitted to hospital for self-harm
in the city is higher than the rest of England. [1]
With child mental health a growing concern, Greens are calling on the Council
to support education providers to deliver activities that help to prevent
mental health problems developing early, with a particular focus on activities
that can help to prevent depression and anxiety, along with providing training
for staff delivering P.S.H.E education. [2]
The Conservative Government’s NHS Long Term Plan was slammed by education
professionals earlier this month after it emerged that pledges for increased
youth mental health support would only reach 345,000 children by 2024. Greens
say the Government plans ‘ignore the immediate needs of thousands of our
children.’ [3]
In a set of proposals going to a meeting of Full Council this week, Greens will
urge the Council to lobby the Government to provide funding so that 100% of
children and young people who require specialist care can access it when they
need it.
Greens are also calling for extra support and training for school staff who
respond to children directly affected by poor mental health and low
self-esteem, as well as increased information sharing on how to manage the
impact of other stressors, such as access to social media and use of mobile
phones. Studies have shown there is a connection between mobile phone access
and cyberbullying, and that reducing mobile phone access in schools can boost
student concentration and lead to improved educational outcomes. Many of the
city’s schools already have policies in place to manage the use of phones in
the classroom. [4]
Cllr
Amanda Knight, who will put forward the proposals, said:
“Support for our children and
young people’s mental health must remain a priority. The rates of anxiety,
self-harm and suicidal thoughts among young people in the city continue to be
deeply worrying, and mental health support can be a life-changing intervention.
“While fantastic work is
underway in our city to support mental health, current central Government
funding has not been able to provide the levels of support our schools need.
Their current plans to reach a handful of pupils by 2030 are completely
inadequate, and ignore the immediate needs of thousands of our children.
“Children
and young people are also facing complex challenges to their mental health –
such as the long-term use of mobile phones, navigating social media and problems
such as ‘sexting’ and cyber bullying. Without advice and guidance, many of our
children will struggle to deal with these issues. Child mental health services
in the city have also said that anxiety has become a key issue raised by young
people. Best practice in prevention, everything from meditation to support with
healthy eating, physical activity and support for personal, social and health
education have been proven to help.
“Our school staff cannot be
expected to pick up the burden of cuts to health services made by the
Government – and as a result of budget cuts arising from changes to the
national funding formula, schools are under increasing pressure. This is why I
urge the Council and our family of schools to work together to focus on what
prevention work is available to us.”
— ENDS
> Green Notice of
Motion: Mental Health in Schools
http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/Published/C00000117/M00008151/AI00072350/$Item6806GrnGrpMentalHealthinSchoolsdraftv1.docxA.ps.pdf
[1]
Brighton and Hove, Joint
Strategic Needs Assessment (http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/Published/C00000826/M00008125/AI00070610/$A1BrightonHoveJSNAexecutivesummaryJan2019FINALDRAFT.pdfA.ps.pdf)
[2]
CYPS, Mental Health for Children and
Young People Report, Pg 96: “Services
do not have the capacity to meet current demand, leading to waits for
assessments and the service model seems unable to meet the needs of complex
cases.” (http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/Published/C00000883/M00006648/AI00056588/$Developments%20in%20Mental%20Health%20Services%20for%20Children%20and%20Young%20People_CYPS%20Committee_12%20June%202017.docxA.ps.pdf) 19 June
2017
[3]
Schools Week: “Some Pupils will not Access New
School Mental Health Services for a Decade.” (https://schoolsweek.co.uk/some-pupils-may-not-access-new-school-mental-health-services-for-a-decade/)
The National Association of Head Teachers have said that ‘…increased demand for
mental health services combined with plummeting funding meant that many pupils
are not receiving crucial support […] the scale and pace proposed by the green
paper for vital improvements to mental health provision is simply too
slow.’
NAHT, (https://www.naht.org.uk/news-and-opinion/press-room/naht-welcome-government-mental-health-proposals-but-caution-that-improvements-are-needed-urgently-to-fix-a-system-in-crisis/)
[4]
‘Ofcom this week said the proportion of 12- to 15-year-olds who reported being
bullied over social media rose from 6% in 2016 to 11% last year.’ The
Guardian, “Social media urged to take
‘moment to reflect’ after girl’s death”. (https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/jan/30/social-media-urged-to-take-moment-to-reflect-after-girls-death) 30th Jan
2019