Appoint a mental health lead in every school, says EPI

A trained mental health and wellbeing lead should be ‘guaranteed’ in every school, college and university, according to the Education Policy Institute (EPI).

The recommendation was made in a report from the EPI’s Independent Commission on Children and Young People’s Mental Health, which calls for a national programme on mental health and well being to be launched in schools.

The report, entitled ‘Time to Deliver’, cautions that the government’s decision not to ring-fence the funding for children’s mental health is putting the young people’s mental health transformation process at risk and highlights evidence of a ‘treatment gap’ when it comes to local health transformation plans.

According to the EPI’s findings, 66.9 per cent of young people aged 16-34 who had attempted suicide had not subsequently received medical or psychological help and specialist mental health services are on average turning away 23 per cent of the young people referred to them for treatment.

In order to address these issues, the report calls for a ‘Prime Minister’s Challenge’ on children and young people’s mental health, which it says should be a ‘key priority’ for the government.

The report suggests it should include: the establishment of a Mental Health Research Institute to fund research into understanding mental health and new treatments; an easy to understand web-based parenting guide for all parents; and a strategy to empower young people to live safe digital lives.

Additionally, the EPI believes more should be done to improve early intervention, which would include the national programme on mental health and wellbeing within schools; the establishment of a trained mental health and wellbeing lead guaranteed in every school, college and university; and high quality statutory PSHE in all schools and colleges.