As we near the end of the second week of parties campaigning and announcing their pledges, we have been witnessing mental health rising up the policy agenda, particularly among young people. Rightly so, it is being recognised as one of the biggest challenges we currently face.
This crisis is not a new one. Since our first Youth Voice Census report, six years ago we have consistently heard young people expressing their concerns surrounding their mental health, listing this as one of their biggest barriers to employment. We know two out of three people who are economically inactive, also have a common mental disorder and the number of NEET (not in education, employment or training) young people is currently at its highest at 900,000 in a decade. Young people are more likely to experience a common mental health disorder (CMD) than any other age group.
This generation of young people have faced disruption, uncertainty and challenges like no other generation and these issues have gone largely unsupported. Shockingly new data also shows that more than a quarter of a million (270,300) children and young people are still waiting for mental health support after being referred to Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) in 2022/23. This is not acceptable, and party leaders have recognised change and intervention is required. But are their policies going far enough to reverse this trend and provide support to thousands of young people who need it now?
The Labour government has announced that should they win the election they will put specialist mental health professionals in schools, so every young person has access to early support, resolving problems before they escalate. Every community will have an open access mental health hub for children and young people, providing early intervention through drop-in services, and Labour will bring down CAMHS waiting lists by recruiting thousands of new staff. They have promised to ‘overhaul’ the way mental health is approached and give people their lives back. Similarly the Liberal Democrats have promised to provide mental health professionals in every school, including both primary and secondary. Whereas, the Conservatives have said they would continue to increase training places for mental health nurses and tackle ‘sick note culture’ through welfare reforms by modernising the welfare system to get people into employment.
As Secretariat of APPG for Youth Employment, we commissioned an inquiry into the impact of mental ill health on young people accessing the labour market and good quality work. The inquiry brought together experts from the sector and young people, providing a platform for voices to be heard. We are pleased to see the focus on early intervention and mental health support in schools, since this was one of our key recommendations in ensuring young people are fully prepared to make positive transitions from education or training into good quality work.
However, our APPG inquiry recommendations also illustrate that this is far more complex. A multifaceted approach is required. Successful solutions will go beyond the school system and involve multiple stakeholders working in partnership with affected children and young people and their families. The report has a detailed list of recommendations, but overall suggests key players in the system include national and local services, schools, colleges and universities and employers.
We hope to see further developments and detail in the party manifestos and policy announcements. It is important that addressing mental health issues among our young people is a priority since it is having an impact on young people becoming economically inactive and preventing them from accessing the labour market and good quality work.
