Mental health issues for children are increasing at a rapid rate. Since just before the advent of the COVID global pandemic in 2020, the number of mental health referrals for children has tripled. This is an all-time high. This is a very sad indictment of the times that we live in. The mental health crisis for children chimes with steadily increasing number of care cases that are going before the Family Courts. It also reflects the high number of ‘broken families’ that have plagued our society recently.
Mental health is one third of the ‘toxic trio’ of issues that impact upon ‘troubled families’. Substance abuse and domestic abuse form the other parts. The children’s mental health crisis is exacerbated by the fact that practical, legal and therapeutic support is not always available quickly. Sometimes they are not available at all. There are wide variations across the country.
A major report considers that ‘young people’s mental health needs to be at the heart of any government strategy, with a clear plan as to how to drive down prevalence’. As pointed out by one expert, troubled children become troubled adults, causing a devastating impact upon society.
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