Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 37
37
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 166
We recommend that the Department implement a new system of early intervention to support children...
Recommendation
We recommend that the Department implement a new system of early intervention to support children and young people who self-harm and are at risk of committing suicide. Educational settings, as a universal provision, can have an important role to provide effective early intervention to pupils who may be struggling with self-harm before the mental health need becomes more acute. Mental Health Support Teams are well placed to deliver these interventions and an accelerated roll out of these teams would increase the capacity of schools and colleges to support those children and young people who may be struggling. Education Mental Health Practitioners must be trained in self-harm and suicide prevention specifically.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepts the recommendation in part, committing to accelerate the roll-out of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to cover 25% of the country by FY 2022/23 and 3 million children by FY 2023/24 with additional funding. Education Mental Health Practitioners' training includes competencies for self-harm and low mood, and a new CQUIN incentive will improve care for people who self-harm and attend A&E.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
166
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted in Part
161. We accept this recommendation in part. 162. The government is accelerating the role out of MHSTs . 163. We agree that education settings can have an important role in prevention and early intervention. MHSTs , where established, are a key part of this. 164. MHSTs are one of the core proposals of Transforming children and young people’s mental health: a green paper. As detailed in our response to recommendation 3, we committed to implement MHSTs to 20 to 25% of England by the end of FY 2022 to 2023. 165. We are now accelerating role out of MHSTs . In March 2021 we announced an additional £79 million funding to support and expand children and young people’s mental health services, including MHSTs . 166. We are on track to have MHSTs covering 25% of the country by FY 2022 to 2023 – a year earlier than originally planned – and this will increase to around 400 teams, covering an estimated 3 million children and young people, by FY 2023 to 2024. 167. It is important when accelerating the roll-out of MHSTs , that we consider the workforce required to fill roles, and the training times needed for new posts such as education mental health practitioners. We have to balance ambitious targets with the finite resources of the NHS.
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