A termination of funding could leave mental health support hubs vulnerable to closure, a youth organsiation has warned.

Following the planned end of the £7m annual Government funding for early support hubs in March next year, Youth Access has cautioned that the facilities which offer early mental health interventions to young people will be at risk of discontinuing services.

Youth Access has revealed that half of the centres predict they will shut down when funding is removed, based on the results of a poll investigating 16 of the hubs.

A further 69% of the facilities will need to make substantial service cuts due to the change, while 75% are likely to make redundancies.

Cassandra Harrison, CEO of Youth Access, said: ‘It’s hard to square the Government’s commitment to prevention and community support with its decision to end funding for early support hubs.

‘These hubs deliver exactly what ministers and young people say they want – fast, local help that stops problems before they reach crisis point. Pulling the plug now risks undoing years of progress and leaving thousands of young people without vital support.

‘We urge the Government to set out a clear plan for transitional funding to keep early support hubs open. Without it, vital services will vanish just as demand is rising - undermining the Young Futures vision before it’s even begun’.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Early Support Hubs are a pilot scheme that have played a key role in supporting the introduction of Young Futures Hubs from next year. They will deliver a similar service that will increase opportunities for young people and ensure they have essential access to early mental health support.’

‘We are committed to transforming children's mental health services, including rolling out mental health support teams in schools and colleges across the country, recruiting 8,500 additional mental health workers, and investing an extra £688 million this year in mental health services.’