Children’s charity Barnardo’s is calling on the Government to expand the Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) programme to every school and college in England following its latest report ‘It's Hard to Talk - Expanding Mental Health Support Teams in Education’. 

The report highlighted that for every £1 invested in MHSTs, there is a predicted return of £1.90 to the state. This is through savings in further health care costs and the indirect benefits of improved school attendance and educational attainment. The report states that this investment would provide crucial early intervention for children who are experiencing poor mental health, including low mood, mild to moderate anxiety, and difficulties regulating their emotions, which could be exacerbated in the coming months. 

As well as MHST expansion, Barnardo’s is supporting our ask for every school to have a trained and accredited school counsellor. Expansion of MHSTs, alongside access to a school counsellor service, would mean young people could avoid long waits for specialist support and reduce the chances of their mental health spiralling into crisis before help is available. You can read the full report on the Barnardo's website.