Denise Hatton, Chief Executive of YMCA England, said: “CentreForum’s ‘State of the Nation’ report released today highlights the stark reality faced by young people trying to access mental health services across the country. In YMCA’s conversations and research with young people, they have consistently told us that accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) takes far too long and that, when they do reach the service, it lacks the vital support they need.
“Even more worrying than this is the difficulty young people face even being referred to CAMHS. We have finally begun to overcome the stigma around poor mental health with young people more confident in speaking up and asking for support.
“However, what this report shows is that when young people do seek help, they are turned away by GPs and asked to come back when things are worse. Without doubt, early intervention is the key to supporting young people who face mental health challenges but the NHS’s current strategy could not be further from this.
“YMCA’s Mental Health Champions programme is an example of where early intervention can make a real difference in tackling mental health problems for young people before they escalate further.
“The programme offers peer-to-peer support through young people talking to each other in schools, specialist guidance for parents and teachers on how to assist young people who may be facing mental health challenges and counselling services for those who need to access help.”
Read State of the Nation and find out more about Mental Health Champions online.