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Increasing access to evidence-informed mental health service provision for children in care in England

A new initiative has set out 20 concrete, evidence-informed recommendations to improve professional mental health support for children and teenagers in care across England.

Developed by a coalition of leading universities and expert organisations including National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaborations (NIHR ARCs), the recommendations seek to address long-standing gaps in access to high-quality, trauma-informed mental health services for some of the country’s most vulnerable young people. 

The work has been supported by the NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria.

More than 80,000 children are currently in care in England – a number that continues to rise. Many have experienced significant early adversity, including abuse, neglect, poverty, domestic violence, and parental mental ill-health.  

These early experiences, coupled with the instability of multiple placement changes and separation from family networks, mean that children in care are at least four times more likely than their peers to experience diagnosable mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, or behavioural conditions. 

Yet despite the clear need, access to appropriate mental health care remains inconsistent and inadequate.  

Project lead, Rachel Hiller, Professor in Child & Adolescent Mental Health at University College London (UCL) and Co-Director, UK Trauma Council, said: 

“Too often, children in care are left without the timely, compassionate, and effective mental health support they need to heal and thrive. Children in care are individuals. They do not all have the same mental health needs. They have a right to access and expect best-evidenced support for their mental health.

“With the right commissioning, joined-up leadership, and a shared understanding of and buy-in to evidence-based practice, change is possible. There are already examples of excellent practice that we can learn from and scale, so all children in care, no matter where they are based, can access high-quality mental health care.”

The recommendations span key areas including: 

• Commissioning practices that prioritise long-term, evidence-based approaches 

• Integrated service delivery that brings together health and social care 

• Workforce development, with a strong emphasis on evidence-based practice 

The full list of recommendations is now available through the UK Trauma Council’s website: https://uktraumacouncil.org/policy 

You can download the study report below.