The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Campaign group calls on government to add mental health funds
Campaigners are calling for a major increase in investment in child mental health services amid a “crisis” in the sector.
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC) said services are “creaking at the seams”, with research indicating 10% of youngsters aged five to 16 have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem.
The SCSC said figures show just 0.56% of the NHS budget was spent on specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in 2018-19, amounting to £67 million.
In a letter to Finance Secretary Derek Mackay, the group called for a significant proportion of money coming to the Scottish Government under the Barnett formula to go to the NHS for mental health services.
Making the call during Children’s Mental Health Week, which runs from February 3-9, an SCSC spokesman said: “We are urging the Scottish Government to make the forthcoming Budget a ‘Budget for Mental Health’ for our children and young people.
“With three children in every classroom having a clinically diagnosable mental health problem, no longer can mental health be viewed as a ‘Cinderella’ service and we must put money behind the rhetoric to address the current crisis.
“There must be a radical transformation of our mental health services, with a focus on preventing such problems arising in the first place and intervening early, especially when we know that half of all mental health problems are established by the age of 14.”
The SCSC has also called for a renewed focus on prevention and early intervention for those with mental health problems.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are determined to ensure that any young person needing mental health support can get services that are appropriate to their needs.
“That is why the mental health minister on Thursday launched the first national CAMHS service specification, developed in partnership with young people and their families to ensure everyone gets the right treatment, at the right time and in the right place.”