Comments by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson highlight the need for children's resilience amidst various pressures, but experts argue this distracts from government failures in expanding mental health support. Children today face post-pandemic challenges, cost of living crises, and social pressures. The rollout of mental health support teams (MHSTs) in schools is inadequate, as many children will not receive the necessary support they need. Experts from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy stress the need for referral pathways to funded counselling, stating that mere resilience is insufficient for addressing the complexities of young people's mental health needs.
We estimate that about 730,000 children and young people each year will fall through the gaps in support available as part of this rollout.
Instead, the government should have focused on an enhanced MHST+ model, which includes a clear referral pathway to funded counselling provision.
Collection
[
|
...
]