Councils should invest more in the wellbeing and mental health of their residents, according to a commission launched by independent think-tank Centre Forum.
The pursuit of happiness: a new ambition for our mental health report also backed pooled budget arrangements, and called on health and wellbeing boards to ‘take the lead in ensuring the co-ordination of services between families, education services, children’s services and primary care is managed successfully’.
It said this was ‘essential as programmes which are commissioned poorly and not delivered faithfully do not work’.
The report read: ‘Wider local authority budgets should dedicate a larger proportion of funds to investment in the wellbeing and mental capital of the population, as well as health and social care services, given that much of the work to improve wellbeing would be done through local authorities, health and wellbeing boards, and public health professionals within councils.’
It added that families of children considered to be at high risk or showing signs of severe behavioural problems should be offered ‘cost-effective, evidence-based parenting programmes’, adding that investment was required to deliver this at scale.
The report added: ‘The commission recommends a pooled budget arrangement due to the multi-sector budgets that stand to benefit.’
