BPS responds to Children’s Commissioner’s report on the damage caused to children’s mental health caused by Covid-19

We back the calls for urgent investment in children's mental health services (link is external) to build a system that can cope with growing demand as the impact of the pandemic continues to bite.

A funding package specifically for supporting children and young people's wellbeing would allow schools to hire additional staff to deliver mental health support to pupils and teaching staff, run interventions to address socio-emotional skills gaps, improve links with local community mental health services, and deliver training to teachers.

Dr Helen Griffiths, from the Division of Clinical Psychology, said:

"This report shines a spotlight on the current state of children's mental health services and the fact that to meet growing demands, we need urgent and ongoing investment in prevention work, mental health services and the workforce to deliver these.

"We need an overarching long-term strategy for children and young people's mental health which includes mental health support teams rolled out across the whole country to avoid a postcode lottery."

Dr Dan O'Hare, co-chair of the Division of Educational and Child Psychology, added:

"Even before the pandemic children's mental health services were stretched and struggled to support and help those who needed it.

"Covid-19 and associated lockdowns will have a detrimental impact on some children and young people.

"We need to ensure that key services are there to support children and young people to navigate the path ahead and thrive.

"As well as targeted services, this means ensuring that the contexts and communities that children grow and develop in, such as families, schools and local communities, are supported to use their existing resources and knowledge to promote children's wellbeing."