Rising number of children are being sectioned under Mental Health Act

A child is sectioned every two weeks in Leicestershire

A child is sectioned every two weeks under the Mental Health Act in Leicestershire - and the number is on the rise.

Figures reveal that 25 were sectioned across county in 2017/18.

That number is up by nearly a third from 19 children detained at services run by the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust the year before.

Campaigners warned that sectioning a child can be “frightening and confusing” and that it should only happen when “absolutely necessary”.

There were 16 girls and eight boys aged between 14 and 17 who were sectioned in 2017/18.

A 10-year-old boy was also sectioned during the course of his first assessment appointment.

He was transferred the same kids our day to an age-appropriate unit in Liverpool.

The youngest girl detained in Leicestershire was 15 years old.

The Mental Health Act 1983 is the main piece of legislation that covers the assessment, treatment and rights of people with mental health disorders.

The NHS advises that people detained under the Act urgently need treatment for a mental health disorder and are at risk of harm to themselves or others.

Emma Thomas, chief executive of Young Minds, said: “Being admitted to hospital can be a lifeline for young people with severe mental health problems, but it can also be frightening and confusing – so it should only happen when there is a clear therapeutic benefit.

“It’s important that the next Prime Minister makes good on Theresa May’s commitment to reform the Mental Health Act, in order to strengthen young people’s rights and ensure that they are only treated in hospital when absolutely necessary.

“We also need to make sure that support is available locally, in the community, so young people can get help before they reach crisis point.”

The figures were obtained from Freedom of Information requests sent to all trusts in England with responsibility for mental health.

At least 1,320 children across the country were sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 2017/18, as recorded by the 32 trusts that responded to the request.

That was up by 8.5 per cent from 1,217 children sectioned the year before across the same trusts.

It is likely that the actual number of kids sectioned is far higher given that some trusts did not respond to the Freedom of Information request.

The youngest children sectioned in 2017/18 were two boys aged eight. One was detained by Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and the other by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust.

The youngest girl was a 10 year old who was sectioned by the East London NHS Partnership Foundation Trust.

Dr Bernadka Dubicka, Chair of the Child and Adolescent Faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “Unfortunately, the rise in detentions is not surprising due to the increasing number of young people that are presenting in crisis with mental health disorders that could have been supported much earlier, were more services available.

“It is vital that the commitments to children and young people mental health in the NHS Long Term Plan are acted on as soon as possible so that children and young people get help early on.

“However, this also must include additional funding for social care support as often it is the most vulnerable children and young people, such as looked after children, that need this help both to prevent crises, but also to support them back into the community from hospital.

“Young people often get stuck in hospital due to lack of appropriate accommodation for them, which compounds their distress.

“If we want to reduce the number of detentions, we need the whole system working together to support vulnerable children and young people, with the resources to support a sufficient workforce, including child and adolescent psychiatrists.

“We also need to have access to transparent data that monitors the number of detentions, the circumstances, and which children and young people are being detained.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Protecting the mental health of our children and young people is a key priority for this Government and we expect all decisions in relation to their care and treatment to be made with their best interests at heart.

“Early intervention is vital to prevent mental health conditions reaching crisis point where sectioning may be necessary.

“We’re piloting a four-week waiting time standard for treatment, training a brand new dedicated mental health workforce for schools across the country, and teaching pupils what good mental and physical health looks like, backed by £1.4 billion.”