Changes proposed to youth mental health services

Kent County Council has proposed changes to mental health services for children and young people after a sharp spike in referrals since 2021.

The council said weekly referrals to the county's counselling service have increased by almost 170%, rising from 33 in March 2021 to 89 in March 2024.

It has proposed a new Therapeutic Support Service to replace its Kent Children and Young People’s Counselling Service contract, which ends in March 2026.

The authority said it had been drawing on its public health reserves to meet demand for conditions like anxiety and sleeplessness since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new service would provide therapies for children aged four to 19, with mild to medium emotional and mental health needs.

The move would see the existing one-to-one counselling sessions move to group support to cut wait times.

Where needed, the new service would still provide one-to-one support for children who would not benefit from a group setting, said the council.

It also plans to expand the variety of therapies, such as sport or drama, which it said could be tailored to support different age groups or neurodiverse children.

Councillor Dan Watkins said: "With the current counselling contract due to end in 18 months, we have the chance to reimagine how we support more of our children and young people more quickly with their mental health needs."

The council estimated there were 49,181 under-18s with mental health disorders in Kent.

NHS England said a survey last year showed one in five children and young people in England, aged eight to 25, had a probable a mental health disorder.

A consultation on Kent County Council's proposed changes will run until midnight on 12 November.

The findings will be presented to the health reform and public health cabinet committee in March 2025.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can visit the BBC's Action Line or contact the Samaritans.

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