Nursery World - Government urged to focus on early intervention to tackle 'unprecedented' mental health challenges for children

Children and young people's mental health charity Anna Freud wants the next government to adopt its plan to shift the emphasis from urgent mental health care to prevention and early intervention.

Anna Freud has put forward its plan to shift the focus from urgent mental health care to early intervention and prevention, PHOTO: Adobe Stock

Children and young people’s mental health charity Anna Freud believes a ‘dangerous’ treatment gap has developed between the demand for help and support available. It says this gap is leaving children waiting months, or even years, for ‘vital’ mental health support.

All the while, the scale of the problem is increasing as demand grows despite an overall increase in spending on children and young people’s mental health, says Anna Freud, and its challenges are so serious, that a ‘radical rethink is needed to shift the dial and improve mental wellbeing’.

The charity wants the next government to adopt its ‘Thinking differently plan’, shifting the emphasis of the mental health care system from urgent, specialist care to prevention and early intervention.

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