A joint report created by The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC), the Centre for Mental Health, and Save the Children UK explores the impact of poverty on the mental health of families in the UK and examines if systems of support provided families with the security they need to thrive.
They gathered first-hand insights from young people and parents and conducted a review of the evidence base. The research presented in this paper represents the diverse experiences of children and families across the four nations of the UK.
In their report, they have made recommendations to the UK Government on social security measures, which are primarily determined on a UK-wide basis. They also reviewed the state of mental health and education provision in England and made specific recommendations for policymakers in England.
To tackle the family mental health crisis, they and we are calling on the UK Government to:
- Tackle the root causes of mental ill health: Commit to a cross-government strategy for mental
health in England that addresses the underlying causes of mental ill health, such as poverty.
This strategy should align with cross-governmental strategies to address child poverty. - Increase financial support for families: Introduce a ‘child lock’ by double-locking children’s
social security entitlements to increase either by earnings or inflation (if inflation exceeds
earnings). This will ensure children are protected during periods of high inflation and stand to
benefit during periods of growth. - Reform conditionality and employment support: Lock in protections for families by exempting
claimants with health conditions, single parents, and parents of young children from sanctions. - Increase and lock in available support: Ensure the full rollout of family hubs across all local
authority areas. All family hubs should have access to financial support, employment support,
and welfare advice for families. - Fund the mental health system: Provide £1.7 billion in increased investment to Integrated Care
Systems to deliver a comprehensive pathway of mental health support for all children and young
people. - Roll out mental health support in schools: Commit to, and fund, the full rollout of Mental
Health Support Teams across all schools and colleges in England.
You can read the full report HERE
