If you listen to the mainstream news channels you may have heard comment today about report recently published in relation to Access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in 2019 by the Education Policy Institute (see report).
At the end of last year the results of a census was carried out by the Isle of Wight Youth Trust revealed shocking levels of worry, anger, bullying and self-harm among young Isle of Wight residents.
In April 2019 it was reported that the number of suicidal teenagers reaching out for support had doubled in the last year.
Shreeve: “Schools working hard picking up the pieces”
Today Peter Shreeve, the Assistant District Secretary of the National Education Union, says that schools are working hard picking up the pieces of a system with increasingly fewer resources and hence failing so many children and young people
He told OnTheWight,
“The EPI report makes for alarming reading and reflects the concerns raised by our teachers and support staff. Schools across England are witnessing the impact of children and young people unable to access the specialist mental health support they need, when they need it.
“One in four young people referred to mental health services in England last year were not accepted for treatment. There may be rational arguments for some of this, but when your car starts to make a funny noise, you don’t ignore it. The longer you wait, the greater potential for damage. So why do only the most serious breakdowns have access to support?
“The reality being, that schools are working hard picking up the pieces of a system with increasingly fewer resources and hence failing so many children and young people.”
Shreeve: “Cuts to schools drastically impacted on support “
He went on to say,
“Cuts to schools have drastically impacted on the support they can provide with our member surveys consistently highlighting cuts to pastoral support teams, including councillors and school nurses.
“Cuts and changes in the way central services are provided locally impact too.
“This week the Schools Forum were presented with proposals to cease existing special schools and social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) outreach, which is provided centrally, in order to save an estimated £250,000 (see report).”
Shreeve: “Support across the Island will wither”
Peter explained how this will affect Isle of Wight schools, he said,
“Capacity to support across the Island will wither, as support will need to be purchased by individual schools at full cost and at the start of the year, so that central provision can be planned.
“The capacity to cater for any newly emerging need mid-year will diminish, thereby exacerbating issues and potentially storing up problems for the future. National costs to the individual and society of untreated adult mental ill health is considerable, estimated to be an annual £105bn in 2011 and predicted to go on increasing (See report).”
Four pupils per class with diagnosable mental illness
He finished by saying,
“The Report points out an increasing understanding of the high prevalence of mental health issues amongst young people and the links to poor educational achievement. It cites recent national estimates, that almost one in eight 5- to 19-year-olds in England – or approximately 1.25 million children and young people – have a diagnosable mental illness. That’s about four pupils in every single class.
“Consider this and include future local challenges. We need to take a long hard look at the way we support children and young people’s mental health and address the chronic underfunding of public services that has contributed to this mental health crisis and its effects on student attainment and progress.”
Image: conovosisters under CC BY 2.0
