Services in Early Support Hubs for young people with mental health problems in England are to be expanded with an additional £7 million of government funding, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced.
The investment will fund 10,000 extra interventions over the next year, expanding services in 24 existing hubs, said the department.
Early Support Hubs provide drop-in help for 11 to 25-year-olds without the need for a GP referral, offering counselling, group work and specialist advice.
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Early education minister Olivia Bailey said: “Every young person deserves access to mental health support when they need it, without barriers or long waits.”
A young person who has used the Young Devon hub described the service as the only one giving “time, effort and non-judgmental space for me to be me”, adding: “I hope that young people in every community can have a place like this to turn to for their mental health and wellbeing.”
The announcement comes as demand continues to rise, with 2023 NHS data suggesting around one in five eight- to 25-year-olds experience a mental disorder.
Alongside the funding, a newly launched parliamentary inquiry is to take a “forensic look” at children’s mental health services – including potential reforms to struggling services.
The probe, to be jointly run by the Education Committee and Health and Social Care Committee, will interrogate how mental health provision is delivered and how effectively it is integrated with NHS services, including specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).
The inquiry will explore whether reforms to CAMHS could improve access to care and consider the role of community-based services, such as the government’s proposed Young Futures Hubs.
It will also assess support within education, including for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The committees will scrutinise the rollout of government policies, including the commitment to expand mental health support teams to all schools in England by 2029/30.
They will also consider how plans for Young Futures Hubs align with wider strategies such as the 10-Year Health Plan, the independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, and the National Youth Strategy.
Education Committee chair Helen Hayes MP said: “Our inquiry will take a forensic look at the mental health services available to children and young people at every stage of their education, from ages zero to 25.”
She said educators are being asked to step in “where existing support has failed”, adding that the inquiry would examine the role teachers can play in supporting pupils’ mental health and whether they are receiving the training needed.
Health and Social Care Committee chair Layla Moran MP described the system facing families as “like navigating a spaghetti junction”, and pledged to pave the way for a more joined up approach “because we know that children’s education and wellbeing are intrinsically linked”.
Source: CYPNOW
