We鈥檙e pleased that Labour has reaffirmed its commitment to introduce trained counsellors for children and young people in every UK school in its new Child Health Action Plan.

The plan was launched following recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) data showing British children鈥檚 health and wellbeing is increasingly falling behind their international counterparts. It outlines Labour鈥檚 plans to reverse what they call 鈥榩lummeting child health outcomes鈥� over the last 14 years.

Plan to recruit more trained counsellors

Also included in the plan is a commitment to reduce waiting lists by recruiting more mental health workers and deliver open access children and young people's mental health hubs for every community.

Jo Holmes, our Children, Young People and Families Lead, said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e delighted that Labour鈥檚 commitment to improving children and young people鈥檚 mental health includes many of the measures we have campaigned on.

鈥淲e鈥檝e worked to highlight, to MPs and the Government, the reasons why school counselling is vital and the positive difference counsellors can make in young people鈥檚 lives. Our campaigning has helped secure commitments to funding school counselling in three consecutive Labour manifestos since 2015.

鈥淲e鈥檝e also supported the 鈥楩und the Hubs鈥� cross-charity campaign group, advocating the Youth Access YIACS (youth information advice & counselling service) early help model, which calls for funding for those young people up to the age of 25 to access the hubs in every community.鈥�

Increasing the mental health workforce

When it comes to increasing the mental health workforce we know that around a third of our members, approximately 19,000 counsellors, have undertaken specific training for working therapeutically with children and young people aged 5 to 18.

Of those trained specifically to work with children and young people, over half have said they would like more paid client work and, on average, have the capacity to take on an extra five clients per week.

Extrapolating these figures, we suggest that 香港六合彩精准资料 members are trained and available to work with over 51,000 additional young people per week. This goes some way to help fill any existing gaps in the availability of counselling to children and young people.

Jo continued: 鈥淲e鈥檝e worked in partnership with Citizens UK to produce a joint policy paper that we鈥檒l share with Labour on funding model options as well as highlighting ways to increase the workforce capacity.

鈥淲e鈥檝e used this opportunity to distinguish between the one year post graduate training required for mental health professionals offering early help interventions in schools (delivered by mental health support teams) and the level of training required to become a counsellor working in schools.

鈥淲e鈥檒l continue to stress the value of counsellors supporting children and young people who often fall into the 鈥榤issing middle鈥�, of services, where school counselling ideally sits.

鈥淲e鈥檙e delighted Labour鈥檚 vision includes increasing access to mental health support in the community as well as in schools, broadening the choice for young people who see counselling as essential to support their mental health and reduce psychological distress."