Parents voice concern for children's 'poor' mental health

Are you a parent worried for your child’s well-being and mental health? Well, you’re not alone. Nearly 80% of parents are worried about their child’s mental health, a survey has revealed.

According to a survey of 1,009 Mumsnet users with children aged 5 to 17, 77% of parents expressed concerns about their child’s mental health and almost a third reported being very concerned.

Among the greatest pressures impacting children’s mental health, parents highlighted social media and online content (76%), bullying and friendship problems (46%), and academic pressure (44%).

Despite 87% of respondents saying they believe children face more mental health pressures than they did before, only 3% of parents think the Government is successfully supporting children’s mental health, with 39% confirming that they think it is being supported “very poorly.”

This research highlights the prevalence of mental health conditions among young people, affecting one in five of those aged 8 to 25, with young women aged 17 to 25 facing mental health problems at double the rate of young men the same age.

With mental health services “struggling to keep pace” with rising need, the plan proposes that three points outlined by the Government’s 10 Year Plan for Health have “critical applicability in youth mental health”: shifting care from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.

Further recommendations of the report include boosting investment in mental health support within youth services, expanded social prescribing, multi-year funding for Integrated Care Boards, and a broadened Mental Health Support Teams model to offer support for neurodiverse young people.

Andy Bell, CEO of Centre for Mental Health, said: “The mental health of children and young people is under unprecedented strain. It is disrupting education, limiting future employment, driving up public service costs, and threatening the UK’s long-term prosperity. Too little is done to prevent mental health problems in childhood.”

He insisted that fixing the problem should be “at the heart of the Government’s moral mission to change the course for this generation.”

“By prioritising prevention, early intervention, and both clinical and nonclinical support - and by building on existing good practice and emerging evidence - we can close the treatment gap and reduce growing levels of need, ensuring children get help earlier and more effectively,” he further mentioned.

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children, Young People and Families Committee, echoed the same sentiments and said:

“To truly tackle the children’s mental health crisis, there should be a cross-government plan to support children and young people alongside adequate funding for children’s services. Mental health training also needs to become a core element of training for all staff that support children and young people.”