The Department of Health is to fund a consortium of experts to deliver a £2.2m educational and advice programme to improve mental health outcomes for children. Based around an online interactive portal, the initiative will aim to support professionals to identify the signs of mental health issues and speed up diagnoses.
Targeted at those working in the NHS, early years, education, social work and the police, the scheme will also seek to ensure that the messages professionals give to children and young people about mental health are consistent and concise.
The consortium will be headed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and will also include the National Children’s Bureau, children’s charity YoungMinds, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of General Practitioners, and British Psychological Society.
The e-portal, due to be launched in Spring 2014, will provide e-training resources tailored to both health professionals and non-health professionals working with children and young people. It will also include aids to evaluate outcomes, and suggestions for appropriate therapies and additional resources to support treatment.
The Consortium will work alongside The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, which will deliver e-learning materials relating to counselling for the programme.
Please keep e informed of the mental health e-portal as I am very interested in accessing the resources.
Thanks Ginny, we will report on this as it gets nearer its launch or as other issues arise.