Educational Institutions: Mental Health Services

(asked on 7th November 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number children who are able to access mental health support at their secondary school or college.


Answered by
Maria Caulfield Portrait
Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This question was answered on 14th November 2023

Latest data from the Department for Education, published in May 2023, shows that there are around 400 mental health support teams in operation in schools and colleges. These cover an estimated 3.4 million children, which is approximately 35% of pupils. This includes primary schools, secondary schools, and further education colleges. Nationally there are on average 8,500 pupils and 17 schools and colleges per mental health support team. We estimate that around 500 teams will be operational, covering 44% of pupils by April 2024, and we are working to increase this coverage to 50% of pupils by March 2025. This data is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/646248cf427e41000cb437ab/Transforming_CYPMH_implementation_programme__data_release_May_2023.pdf

Mental health support teams work alongside existing wider pastoral and other support in and around educational settings. Schools and colleges are best placed to decide what support to provide to respond to the social, emotional, and mental health needs of their pupils. This can include the provision of school-based mental health professionals such as counsellors and working with external providers and, where necessary, specialist services within the National Health Service.

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