Press Release: Prime Minister confirms that the Government will look closely at improving children’s mental health in response to question by Lucy Frazer MP
Last week The Children's Society published a report, The Good Childhood Report 2016, based on surveys of over 30,000 children aged 8 to 17, to evaluate their happiness and wellbeing. The report showed that 10% of children feel that their lives have little meaning or purpose. Around 1 in 10 young people aged 5-16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder.
Today, Lucy Frazer, MP for South East Cambridgeshire, raised the importance of supporting children with mental health problems with the Prime Minister Theresa May during Prime Minister’s Questions, saying: “I know the Prime Minister understands the importance of tackling mental health as she raised it in her Downing Street speech. What further action does she propose to increase mental health support in schools?”
The Prime Minister assured Ms Frazer that there was collective concern about the way in which mental health is dealt with, and that £1.4 billion has been invested into transforming the dedicated mental health support that is available to young people across the country, including £150 million to support young people with eating disorders. The Prime Minister also stipulated that the Government has proposed a blueprint for counselling services in schools, and stressed the important role of schools in addressing the issue of mental health and wellbeing in children. The Prime Minister confirmed that the Education Secretary Justine Greening will be looking closely at the issue to see what more can be done.
Ms Frazer said: “I was shocked by the statistics in the latest Good Childhood Report, and I believe that we should be trying to address mental health issues in children as soon as they arise. It is clear that an important part of this is not only securing the right amount of funding, but making sure that schools have the right resources to be able to deal with these issues. I therefore welcome the Prime Minister’s statement today, and look forward to further policy progression in this important area.”
Notes to Editors:
Contact: Roxy Lackschewitz-Martin, [email protected] or 0207 7219 5082