Posted on Wednesday 10th October 2018
Children and young people with mental health issues in Staffordshire will get the right help at the right time, thanks to a proposed new joint approach by Staffordshire councils and Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Staffordshire County Council, Stoke-On-Trent City Council and local Clinical Commissioning Groups have launched their proposed joint Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing strategy on World Mental Health Day (October 10).
The county and city councils, plus local CCGs, have joined forces in a commitment to improve children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.
The strategy focuses on tackling stigma and improving attitudes to mental illness, ensuring there are mechanisms of support in local communities to help children and young people.
Around 40% of all young people experience at least one mental health issue by the age of 16. With 225,000 children and young people living in Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent, this means around 90,000 will experience an issue with their emotional health and wellbeing.
The new approach to mental health will mean more children and young people will be supported to achieve good mental health, and will exercise more choice and control to make healthier and safer choices in relation to their emotional wellbeing.
Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Mark Sutton said:
“Promoting good mental health, and helping young people who are experiencing issues with their emotional wellbeing is key to ensuring they can move into adulthood successfully. Children and young people with good emotional health are better able to learn, participate and achieve their potential. We also recognise that positive mental health is an important factor in enjoying good physical health.
“By joining together to support young people get the right help at the right time, and working across Staffordshire to raise awareness and address their needs, we can ensure that any experience of poor emotional wellbeing and mental health will not have a detrimental effect on their future.”
Marcus Warnes, Accountable Officer for the six Clinical Commissioning Groups in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent said:
“Promoting resilience across children, young people, families and communities, are key factors in the delivery of mental health and emotional wellbeing support across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. The aim of this approach is to ensure services are developed based on need and that the right support is provided to build capacity and skills across children and young people and their families and communities to manage the risk factors which could impact on their mental health.”
The approach will be reviewed by Staffordshire County Council’s Healthy Staffordshire Select Committee on October 29, before consideration by the county council’s cabinet on November 21.