Urgent help needed for children facing mental health crisis - only 1 in 4 get the help they need

Only 1 in 4 children who needed mental health support accessed services last year, shocking figures from the Children's Commissioners report have revealed.

MP for Twickenham Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, said: "The report's findings confirm the sad reality we have known all along: the mental health of children and young people has for too long been overlooked by this Conservative Government. Week after week, I am contacted by parents whose children are struggling with their mental health and unable to access services.

"With 1 in 6 children now suffering from a mental health condition, it is clear that this pandemic is not only a physical one but also a mental health crisis too.

"Without urgent Government action to put young people at the top of their priority list, these figures can only get worse. So far, the Government's lack of planning and provision during the pandemic has only compounded the growing young people's mental health crisis.

"The Liberal Democrats want the Government to act on the findings of this report now. Prevention has long been overlooked and is key to stopping young people reaching crisis point. Providing access to mental health support in schools would be a lifeline to many young people, yet the lack of ambition from Government in only promising a fifth of schools a counsellor by 2023 is woeful. Every school should have a counsellor. The need is all the more urgent due to the pandemic."

Report can be found here: www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/report/mental-health-services-2020-21/.