Rochdale MP, Tony Lloyd, is calling on the government to amend sections of the proposed Mental Health Bill to ensure children and young people receive early intervention and preventive strategies within schools and in the community.

Tony said, “Despite some good things in the proposed Mental Health Bill, measures for children and young people who are in desperate need of essential preventative and early intervention care is not just there.

“For example, there are no current plans to bring about require early intervention and preventative measures to help address children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing issues at the first possible opportunity.

“This should be a top priority for a new Prime Minister and government. That’s why I’m calling on the government to amend the Draft Mental Health Bill and give a commitment to provide a framework for the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. This must include fully-funded early intervention and preventive strategies within schools and in the community.”

Tony has written a Parliamentary motion calling for this which has, so far, garnered the support of 10 cross-party MPs. The motion applauds the importance of the need “to provide funding to enable local communities to explore alternatives to hospital admission for people experiencing a mental health crisis.” However, it recognises that “those from ethnic minority backgrounds […] are disproportionately detained under the provisions of the current Act,” adding “despite the Government’s public call for evidence to support the development of a new cross-Government 10-year plan for mental health, […] there are no current plans to bring forward specific legislative proposals to require early intervention and preventative measures to help address children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing issues at the first possible opportunity.”

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Notes for editors:-

• The full text of the Early Day Motion, and a list of signatories, can be found here.