Never mind mental health! What about the government madness surrounding it?!!

• 11 January 2017
• Jane Evans
• no comments

Earlier this week Theresa May made a stirring speech about mental health

“The prime minister said mental health had been “dangerously disregarded” as secondary to physical health and changing that would go “right to the heart of our humanity”

May even made links between poor mental health and long term outcomes such as poor physical health, links to criminal activity and even early death. This makes me think she has heard about the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, originating in the USA from the work of Felitti and Anda, and recently conducted in Wales. It categorically evidences the impact of childhood experiences of adversity, and how this plays out in our adult lives.

This rhetoric by the Prime Minister left me in a rage

For some desperate families and young people, Theresa May’s grandstanding about mental health will have given them increased hope and raised their expectations. I have worked with more parents and carers than I can remember, desperately waiting for their appointment with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Clinging to the hope that things would then start to change for their child and their family. Sometimes it did, but more often they wouldn’t even get an appointment. Or, they had an assessment and did not meet the criteria, or both of these did happen but the child “did not engage with” or find the work helpful.

CAMHS can seem like the elusive, holy grail. Yet, over the years funding for CAMHS has been cut, like everything else. Also, some who work in CAMHS are not deeply versed in the impacts of childhood trauma; whilst others are, and do their best with the limited time and resources available to them.

Rhetoric and shouting the odds changes nothing

Whilst Theresa May possibly has some understanding of the ACE study, she shows no ability to join up the damn dots by linking the findings of the ACE study to a laser-like focus on prevention in the early years. After all, she could easily find the necessary evidence to validate such a focus by embracing the UK’s First Cross-Party Children’s Manifesto, the 1001 critical days.

After all, making it a priority for every child to receive care and support which is deeply founded in meeting their attachment needs would go a very long way to ensuring a lasting foundation of good mental and physical health outcomes.

Back in the real world

In reality, the government continues to look the other way whilst there are multiple closures of community based Children’s Centres which leaves more families; more isolated thus creating and sustaining mental illness. In the early years sector, the government is proposing private settings address rising running costs by providing children with LESS contact with caring adults, even though its well-known that the way to support healthy brain and body development is through MORE contact. They also suggest changing the ‘mix of staff used’, which I guess means ‘use cheaper less qualified staff?’

In a recent article by Dr Jo Verrill, Managing director, Ceeda quotes the Department of Education’s review of childcare delivery costs,

“Our analysis shows that a ‘typical’ provider in a private setting could save around 15 per cent….by staffing within the statutory requirements.”

Whereas most settings aspire to deliver above these requirements as they know they only just meet the children’s needs as it is.

Theresa May is CAN improve mental health….

May is NOT improving children’s mental health by reducing the numbers of adults in their lives, or by closing Children’s Centres, or by training teachers with a Mental Health First Aid Kit andplacing an additional pressure on them to identify and support initial mental health concerns. Many of the teaching staff I meet are struggling with their own stresses, anxiety and mental wellness.

Theresa May CAN improve children’s mental health by sustaining and increasing funding to early years settings so there are higher numbers of emotionally and physically available and regulated adults for every child.

Teresa May CAN put emotional health at THE top of the tree for policies and practice in early years and schools, rather than academic achievement.

Teresa May CAN remove the enormous stresses on those present in the daily lives of children freeing them up to fully connect with, and love the children.

Teresa May CAN even throw caution to the wind and actually implement strategies based on the last 25 years plus of research, especially given the robust findings of the ACE study.

“We see how early childhood experiences are so important to lifelong outcomes, how the early environment literally becomes embedded in the brain and changes its architecture.”

Andrew s. Garner

 

 

Images from Pixabay.com