Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to work with schools and local authorities to promote awareness of mental health issues for young people.

Alistair Burt

The Department of Health is investing £700,000 this financial year to fund the largest ever campaign for teenagers and the first of its kind for parents, to raise awareness and reduce stigma about mental health issues. This was done through Time To Change, a partnership between Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and Public Health England.

A key part of this work included activities within schools. Free resources were made available to teachers to deliver sessions and social contact events, supported by online contact, where young people shared their personal experiences and promoted by local areas. The campaign is being refreshed this week as part of Time To Talk Day on 4 February, which aims to get as many people as possible around the country talking about mental health.

The Government will continue to support Time To Change campaigns on young people mental health in coming years.

Work is also underway in partnership with the Department for Education and NHS England to pilot single points of contact in schools so that young people in school have improved access to mental health advice and support. These pilots will include joint training across children and young people’s mental health services and schools to raise awareness of mental health issues, support early identification and highlight potential interventions.