Years of young lives lost waiting for specialist support

As reported by the NEU, Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, commented at the start of Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week

“In Children’s Mental Health Week we continue to call on the government to not just acknowledge the increase in children and young people who struggle with mental health issues but to make concrete investment and effective planning to tackle it. 

“Schools need more than sticking-plaster approaches and cheap substitutes for specialists from the government. They need timely access to specialist mental health professionals and funding for the increased pastoral capacity that we know works, and they need it now. Years of young lives are being lost waiting for specialist support and it can’t go on.  

“Teachers need time to get to know their students well rather than just racing them through an over-full curriculum towards high-stakes exams, all of which impacts negatively on student and teacher mental health. 

“With increasing numbers of young people missing school because of mental health issues and a teacher recruitment and retention crisis, surely now is the time for the government to listen to young people, families and those professionals who work with them daily and to make the changes we need for every child to feel connected and to thrive.”