New website to help adults spot the signs of mental health issues in young people
- 25 Mar
There are at least 850,000 children in the UK with a diagnosed mental health condition, with the figure rising, however 75% of these children are not receiving the support they need.
A recent poll on the general public found 69% of people supported the idea of every school having a dedicated member of staff on site for children to approach about mental health and well-being issues.
The poll also found that over a third of adults wouldn't know how to spot a child with a potential mental health issue, reports the BBC.
A new online tool has been launched, called MindEd, which contains bite-size learning that has been individually tailored to equip any one of the one million professionals and volunteers working with children and young people with the skills needed to support and identify mental health problems.
The site aims to speed up the amount of time it takes to identify a child with a mental health problem and put them on the path to the most appropriate support and treatment, when necessary.
Dr Raphael Kelvin from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health says: "All too often I see children and young people who enter the health system when they've been struggling with a mental health problem for a long time. Better support early on - including specific mental health leads in schools and tailored online support for professionals - could be key to catching issues early. And in a world of squeezed budgets and resource pressure, we need to make sure resources are being directed in the right way; including into the classroom and onto the web."
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