Children First – Page 5 – The NEN

‘Continued improvement’ in child mental health waiting times

Best performance since national target was set – but charities say targets are still being missed

Almost 90% of children and young people accessing mental health services started treatment within 18 weeks of referral from July to September – the best performance since a national target was introduced a decade ago.

Latest Public Health statistics show 89.1% of those who were assessed as suitable for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) were seen within 18 weeks – the Scottish Government target is 90%.

The figure is up five percentage points on the previous quarter and 13.5 percentage points on the same quarter the previous year.

Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “We are working hard to ensure that everyone gets the support they need, when they need it, so the continued improvement in CAMHS waiting times is very welcome.

“These positive figures are testament to the dedication of the staff who work so hard to help the children and young people they care for. While the national standard applies only to each quarter, it is also encouraging that the highest ever monthly performance – 91.3% was recorded in September.

“However we know there is still more to do, which is why we have provided local authorities with more than £65 million, since 2020, to develop and deliver community-based mental health support for children, young people and their families. We have also invested £16 million a year to work towards ensuring every secondary school in Scotland has access to school counselling services.”

Children 1st Chief Executive, Mary Glasgow.

Responding to the latest CAMHS quarterly waiting list figures, Children First chief executive Mary Glasgow said: “Today’s figures show thousands of children are still in desperate need of support.

“It’s a decade since the Scottish Government committed to 90 percent of CAMHS referrals being seen within 18 weeks. This target has still not been met.

“Our teams across Scotland are supporting young people who are frightened, worried, anxious and need help now. The fact remains that children are often not getting support until they are in severe distress. This must stop.

“Ahead of tomorrow’s budget, the Scottish Government must invest more in early help and support to prevent children reaching crisis point.

“We want to see more funding so that families can quickly get support for their children when they need it.”

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, is calling on the Scottish Government to deliver a budget for mental health tomorrow (4^th December).

The call comes as the latest waiting time figures from Public Health Scotland published today (3rd December), indicate that 115 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in the quarter ending September 2024.¹

The figures also show that a total of 4,231 children and young people were still stuck on waiting lists to start treatment at the end of that quarter.

This comes against the background of an increasing level of violent incidents in the classroom, a result in part due to the current mental health emergency, exacerbated by the long shadow of the Covid lockdown and cost-of-living crisis.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, cases of poor mental health in children and young people were at unprecedented levels, with under-resourced services struggling to keep pace with growing demand, leaving an increasing number of vulnerable individuals unable to access support

However, it should be noted that despite this challenging situation, only 0.75 per cent of the total NHS budget was spent on CAMHS in the 2023/23 financial year.²

Indeed, spend on mental health services generally has declined by 4.5 per cent in real terms over the past three years.

The SCSC is calling the Scottish Government to up its game in the budget and make the treatment of mental health issues a key national priority, prioritising spending and avoiding a potential lost generation of children and young people with mental health problems.

A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “The latest figures highlighting that more than 4,200 children and young people are still waiting for treatment from mental health services, with 115 waiting over a year, is extremely alarming.

“We are facing a mental health emergency and many of our children and young people are at breaking point, with stress and anxiety reaching alarming levels as they battle with the long shadow of lockdown and the rising cost of living. This is also having a major effect on classroom behaviour, impacting the young people concerned, their fellow pupils and staff.

“Each one of these statistics is an individual, and we would urge the Scottish Government to up its game and make the adequate resourcing of mental health services for our children and young people an absolute priority in the forthcoming budget.”

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in NHSScotland for the quarter ending September 2024.

Children First uncover staggering 100 referrals a day for child mental health support

In the run up to Christmas, Children First is calling for action to address Scotland’s child mental health crisis after a recent freedom of information (FOI) request revealed a ‘staggering’ 100 referrals a day, on average, are being made to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

Scotland’s national children’s charity has described the figures as ‘a sad reflection of growing up in Scotland today’ after they declared a childhood emergency last month. At the time, a survey carried out by the children’s charity found 88 percent of adults were worried about children and young people’s mental health.

Children First chief executive, Mary Glasgow, said: “The fact that a staggering 100 referrals for children are being made for children’s mental health support daily is a sad reflection of growing up in Scotland today. This Christmas thousands of children will wake up full of fear and worry.

“Scotland’s children should be safe, loved and happy – not robbed of their childhoods. This must stop. As a nation we have a responsibility to protect their mental health and wellbeing and to ensure they receive the support they need.

“We are calling on the Scottish Government to roll out more early help and support to stop children reaching crisis point and asking the Scottish public to get behind our Christmas fundraising campaign to protect Scotland’s children and keep them safe.”

The news comes a week before the latest quarterly CAMHS waiting list statistics are released and a decade on from the Scottish Government committing to 90 percent of CAMHS referrals being seen within 18 weeks. That target has never been met.

Mary Glasgow continued: “Ten years on the Scottish Government has not kept its promise to stop children getting stuck on waiting lists and children are often not getting help until they are in severe distress. We want to see more funding so that families can quickly get support for their children when they need it.

“Our teams across Scotland are supporting young people who are frightened, worried and anxious and in desperate need of help.”

One young person, Tessa* who was suffering panic attacks, anxiety and fear during a difficult time at home, shared her experience of being supported by Children First: “After I met Sharon* from Children First I felt that I had someone to turn to.

“I could talk to her and share my feelings with her. She helped me learn to cope with my anxiety. Before then I’d been bottling up everything but having Sharon to talk to felt like a weight off my shoulders.”

Glasgow added: “At Children First we provide emotional, practical and financial support to help children and families when they need it most.

“We know Christmas time can be a strain for many families and the support we provide is needed now more than ever. We want children to have hope and a brighter future. Please donate today and give the gift of childhood this Christmas.”

Donations to the Children First Christmas appeal can be made at childrenfirst.org.uk or by calling 0345 10 80 111.

Anyone worried about a child in Scotland can contact the Children First support line by calling 08000 28 22 33 for free or visiting www.childrenfirst.org.uk.

You can read Tessa’s full story here: Tessa’s story | Children First

*Names have been anonymised to protect the identity of the young person quoted.

Space to Grow: Children First launches free emotional health and wellbeing support for children

Children in Edinburgh and Glasgow can now access free face-to-face emotional health and wellbeing support from Children First thanks to funding from BBC Children in Need, in partnership with The Children’s Society and MACS Supporting Children and Young People.

Glasgow and Edinburgh are two of 13 areas chosen to host the new Space to grow programme, which aims to support around 6,000 children aged 8 to 13 over the next two years across the UK.

From November, Children First will be able to extend its existing services and reach in Scotland’s two largest cities, working with schools and other local partners to help even more children.

The service isn’t just for children. Parents, carers, and school staff will also receive resources to help them talk about tough topics with youngsters. Parents and carers across Scotland will also be able to access help for any young person they are worried about via Children First’s support line on 08000 28 22 33.

Space to grow specifically targets children who are often underrepresented in emotional health services, including those from the global majority, young carers, and LGBTQ+ youth. Alongside direct support, the programme will build an evidence base to advocate for improvements in emotional health and wellbeing services.

Debbie Noble, assistant director at Children First, said: “At Children First we’re passionate about protecting Scotland’s children. So, we’re delighted to be working with BBC Children in Need, the Children’s Society and MACS through the Space to grow partnership to give thousands of children hope and a brighter future.

“Any adult in Scotland who is worried about a child’s emotional health and wellbeing can call our support line, 365 days a year for help and advice, or contact us via our website – www.childrenfirst.org.uk.”

Mark Russell, Chief Executive of The Children’s Society, said: “We’re thrilled to launch Space to grow and support so many children before they reach crisis point.

“The £1 million from Children in Need lets us reach children who often miss out on early help. We look forward to seeing thousands more children happier, healthier, and thriving by the end of the programme.”

Dr Alex George said: “I was honoured to meet with the brilliant team at The Children’s Society back in May to present them with the BBC Children in Need A Million & Me Award.

“It has been a pleasure to follow their journey since and see them make great strides in the early intervention approach to mental health in such a short amount of time.

“I look forward to seeing their continued impact in the space with the launch of the programme, inspiring safe and regular conversations around mental and emotional wellbeing”.