£9.4m investment in children’s mental health services

Marking the start of Children’s Mental Health Week, the Welsh Government has announced that more than £9 million will be available specifically to support children and young people in Wales.

The funding recognises the effect being away from school and regular support networks has had on young people during the pandemic. The Welsh Government already has a protected minimum spend of £783 million to address the issue of mental health across society for 2021-22. This represents an extra £42 million additional funding into mental health support, as it is not just young people who are struggling with this issue during the pandemic.

With research showing mental health issues predominantly start when people are children or young people, an additional £4 million will be made available to improve access to emotional and mental health well-being support in schools as part of the Whole Systems Approach.

A further £5.4 million funding will go towards CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) to support young people who need more intensive support, both in the community and in specialist mental health in-patient services. There will also be more counselling and emotional support for school children available, contributing towards their overall health, well-being, emotional health and resilience.

Eluned Morgan, Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, said: “This significant investment in mental health services for children and young people shows we recognise the impact the pandemic is having on them and are doing everything we can to improve access to support.

“We understand that getting the right support at the right time, in many cases, can prevent longer-term adverse effects, and that’s why we’re making access to support a priority. We continue to spend more on mental health than any other part of NHS and I’m proud that we are supporting our services with additional investment in the draft Budget.”