A Christian MP has said vulnerable children in care need priority access to mental health services to stop them being overlooked.
Labour’s Stephen Timms was speaking after a group of MPs including himself which make up the Education Select Committee published a report which found the care system and health services are routinely failing to identify the mental health problems of young people in the care system.
It also found children in care were four times more likely to suffer mental health problems than their peers.Children leaving care in the UK are also five times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers and are more likely to enter the criminal justice system.
The report wants the Government to: Address the lack of reliable data about mental health
Fund mental health surveys on a five-yearly basis Allow care leavers to access Care and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) up until the age of 25
Invest in better understanding the challenges that young people face while living in and after leaving the care system
Stephen Timms told Premier: “Almost half of children in care have got a diagnosable mental health disorder. … Read More