Children’s mental health services need urgent reforms due to ‘unacceptable failings’ in the system, town hall chiefs are warning.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said children’s mental health services need a ‘complete overhaul’ to improve levels of care. It is also calling on the government to provide adequate funding and resources to ensure early diagnosis for children.
Cllr David Simmonds, chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: ’It is totally unacceptable that vulnerable young people who need help can end up falling through gaps in the system being widened because of funding pressures which are fuelling long NHS wait times.
‘Local authorities still have serious concerns about mental health funding for children and want a complete overhaul of the fragmented and complex system that they currently face each day when trying to access services delivered by the NHS and other partners.’
The LGA warned that many young people and their families seeking help for mental health problems face a complex system that makes it difficult to access support. It also said those transferring from children’s to adult services are also at risk of being left without help due to inconsistencies in service eligibility.
