Anne Longfield has also described a postcode lottery in care
(
Getty
)
The UK is at least a decade away from having a comprehensive mental health service for children, according to the children’s commissioner.
Anne Longfield, the children’s commissioner for England, said there was a “chasm” between the services that were available for children and what they actually needed, adding that children’s mental health services were “the poor relation” in terms of NHS funding. Currently adults receive £225 per head while children receive just £92.
Ms Longfield has published her third annual briefing on child mental health.
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It reveals that while the NHS has made progress on improving mental health services for children, the current system is far from adequately meeting the needs of thousands of mentally unwell children.
She said: “There has been welcome progress on children’s mental health services over the last couple of years, and more progress is promised over the coming ones.
UK news in pictures
Show all 50
UK news in pictures
1/50 6 February 2020
Members of the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme team examine a dead whale that died after becoming stranded in the Thames estuary at Medway over the weekend
PA
2/50 5 February 2020
Children from Oaklands Secondary School in Bethnal Green and Families Belong Together campaigners in Westminster before handing a petition in to the Home Office, as they call on the government to amend the UK's refugee family reunion laws
PA
3/50 4 February 2020
Rasputin the polar bear, shakes off water as he is unveiled at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster
PA
4/50 3 February 2020
Police activity inside a cordon where a man was shot by armed police in a terrorist-related incident in Streatham, London
EPA
5/50 2 February 2020
Micheal Ward with his Rising Star Award alongside Daniel Kaluuya Baftas
Reuters
6/50 1 February 2020
Activists attend an anti-Conservative government, pro-Scottish independence, and anti-Brexit demonstration outside Holyrood, the seat of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
AFP/Getty
7/50 31 January 2020
Pro EU supporters display a banner ' Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out' from Westminster bridge in front of the Houses of Parliament in London. Britain officially exits the EU on 31 January, beginning an eleven month transition period
EPA
8/50 30 January 2020
Kiko the 2-year-old British Bulldog skateboarding with his owner, Ebel Perez, from Shiremoor, North Tyneside
PA
9/50 29 January 2020
British MEP's and their assistants along with members of the political group Socialist and Democrats at a ceremony prior to the vote on the UK's withdrawal from the EU at the European Parliament in Brussels
AP
10/50 28 January 2020
Torches are lit using a flare ahead of the Up Helly Aa Viking festival. Originating in the 1880s, the festival celebrates Shetland's Norse heritage
PA
11/50 27 January 2020
England bowler Mark Wood is lifted aloft by Joe Root after taking the final wicket of South Africa to win the match and series during day four of the Fourth Test at Wanderers in Johannesburg
Getty
12/50 26 January 2020
Performers taking part in a parade involving costumes, lion dances and floats, during Chinese New Year celebrations in central London, which marks the Year of the Rat
PA
13/50 25 January 2020
A couple walks along the Basingstoke canal near to Dogmersfield in Hampshire
PA
14/50 24 January 2020
Boris Johnson gestures as he watches a performance during celebrations for Chinese Lunar New Year at Downing Street in London
Reuters
15/50 23 January 2020
Gabriella Zaghari-Ratcliffe stands next to her father Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and his mother Barbara, as they address the media in Downing Street following a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson
PA
16/50 22 January 2020
Rosa Connolly takes a close look during a preview of the Tyrannosaurs exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
PA
17/50 21 January 2020
The sun sets behind tower cranes and the London skyline in the city financial district
PA
18/50 20 January 2020
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson as they attend the UK-Africa Investment Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel in London. Johnson is hosting African leaders and senior government representatives along with British and African businesses during the UK-Africa Investment Summit, aimed at strengthening the UKs economic partnership with African nations
Getty
19/50 19 January 2020
Joe Root celebrates with his England team mates after taking the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen during day four of the third Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. He took a career-best four wickets during the day's play, which saw the home side follow on in their second innings. They trail England by 188 runs going into day five
Getty
20/50 18 January 2020
Drag queens pose on the pink carpet as they participate in the "Queen's Walk" during RuPaul's DragCon UK at Kensington Olympia
AFP via Getty
21/50 17 January 2020
Kitty Ross, curator of social history, is pictured reflected in a display cabinet while holding a skeleton violin from the 1880s that forms part of the Sounds of our City exhibition at the Abbey House Museum in Leeds
PA
22/50 16 January 2020
Britain's Harry, Duke of Sussex (C), hosts the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draw in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, 16 Ja​nuary 2020. The Duke, who is expected to step back from senior Royal duties, spoke with Ruby League ambassadors and children from St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School in London
EPA
23/50 15 January 2020
Vehicles negotiate the flooded B4069 road at Christian Malford in Wiltshire after the river Avon burst its banks
PA
24/50 14 January 2020
Huge waves hit the sea wall in Porthcawl, Wales, as gales of up to 80mph from Storm Brendan caused disruption around the UK
PA
25/50 13 January 2020
Puppeteers from Vision Mechanic rehearsing with Scotland's largest puppet, a ten-metre tall sea goddess called Storm, in the grounds of the Museum of Flight, East Lothian. Made entirely from recycled materials, it was unveiled ahead of its debut at the Celtic Connections Costal Day celebrations in Glasgow this weekend
PA
26/50 12 January 2020
A windsurfer jumps in the air after hitting a wave in the sea off of West Wittering beach in West Sussex
PA
27/50 11 January 2020
Mikuru Suzuki celebrates winning the women's championship of the BDO World Professional Darts Championships 2020 in London
PA
28/50 10 January 2020
One of seven new lion cubs at the West Midlands Safari Park in Kidderminster
PA
29/50 9 January 2020
Rawson Robinson, from Nenthead, on the Cumbria and Northumberland border clears snow from the model village he has built in his garden
PA
30/50 8 January 2020
People read messages written on the David Bowie mural in Brixton, south London, on what would have been the singer's 73rd birthday
PA
31/50 7 January 2020
England's Stuart Broad celebrates with teammate Ben Stokes after the dismissal of South Africa's Rassie van der Dussen during the fifth day of the second Test cricket match in Cape Town. Stokes claimed the last three wickets in the space of 14 deliveries to wrap up a 189-run win
AFP via Getty
32/50 6 January 2020
Protesters in London take part in a demonstration in support of a British woman found guilty of lying about being gang raped in Cyprus
AP
33/50 5 January 2020
Protesters demonstrate outside the US Embassy in London, after America killed Iran's general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad's international airport
PA
34/50 4 January 2020
Metropolitan police cordon off Charteris Road close to the junction with Lennox Road in Finsbury Park in north London, after a man was stabbed to death on Friday evening, the first murder in London in 2020
PA
35/50 3 January 2020
Protesters, holding a photograph of the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran Massoud Rajavi, outside Downing Street in London after the US killed General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad's international airport. Soleimani was head of Tehran's elite Quds Force and Iran's top general
PA
36/50 2 January 2020
A keeper counts squirrel-monkeys at London Zoo during the annual stocktake. Caring for more than 500 different species, ZSL London Zoo's keepers face the challenging task of tallying up every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate at the Zoo
AP
37/50 1 January 2020
Peter Wright celebrates winning with the Sid Waddell trophy at the Darts World Championships in London. He stunned Michael van Gerwen to clinch his first title 7-3
PA
38/50 31 December 2019
Surfers at Tynemouth on the north east coast
PA
39/50 30 December 2019
Deer graze in the morning mist as cyclists ride by in Richmond Park, London
Reuters
40/50 29 December 2019
Night sky after the sunset at Whitley Bay in Northumberland
PA
41/50 28 December 2019
The Harlequins players arrive at the stadium prior to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Big Game 12 match between Harlequins and Leicester Tigers at Twickenahm Stadium
Getty Images for Harlequins
42/50 27 December 2019
A car drives through floodwater near Harbridge, north of Ringwood in Hampshire, after the river Avon burst its banks
PA
43/50 26 December 2019
Participants in the Old Surrey and West Kent Boxing Day Hunt in Chiddingstone. Hunting with horses and hounds is a Boxing Day tradition. Since the fox hunting ban in 2004, modified hunts take place using scented trails for the animals to follow
EPA
44/50 25 December 2019
Swimmers of the Serpentine Swimming Club take part in the Peter Pan Cup race, which is held every Christmas Day at the Serpentine, in central London
PA
45/50 24 December 2019
Shoppers bid for cuts of meat during a Christmas Eve auction in Smithfield market in London
EPA
46/50 23 December 2019
Reggie the dog is rescued with a boat from flooding at the Little Venice Country Park and Marina in Maidstone
AFP via Getty
47/50 22 December 2019
People gather at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to mark the winter solstice, and to witness the sunrise after the longest night of the year
PA
48/50 21 December 2019
Southampton's Jack Stephens scores their second goal against Aston Villa
Reuters
49/50 20 December 2019
The coffin arrives for the funeral of London Bridge terror attack victim Jack Merritt at Great St Mary's Church in Cambridge
PA
50/50 19 December 2019
Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Charles walk behind the Imperial State Crown as they proccess through the Royal Gallery, before the Queen's Speech, during the State Opening of Parliament
AFP via Getty
1/50 6 February 2020
Members of the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme team examine a dead whale that died after becoming stranded in the Thames estuary at Medway over the weekend
PA
2/50 5 February 2020
Children from Oaklands Secondary School in Bethnal Green and Families Belong Together campaigners in Westminster before handing a petition in to the Home Office, as they call on the government to amend the UK's refugee family reunion laws
PA
3/50 4 February 2020
Rasputin the polar bear, shakes off water as he is unveiled at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster
PA
4/50 3 February 2020
Police activity inside a cordon where a man was shot by armed police in a terrorist-related incident in Streatham, London
EPA
5/50 2 February 2020
Micheal Ward with his Rising Star Award alongside Daniel Kaluuya Baftas
Reuters
6/50 1 February 2020
Activists attend an anti-Conservative government, pro-Scottish independence, and anti-Brexit demonstration outside Holyrood, the seat of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh
AFP/Getty
7/50 31 January 2020
Pro EU supporters display a banner ' Here to Stay, Here to Fight, Migrants In, Tories Out' from Westminster bridge in front of the Houses of Parliament in London. Britain officially exits the EU on 31 January, beginning an eleven month transition period
EPA
8/50 30 January 2020
Kiko the 2-year-old British Bulldog skateboarding with his owner, Ebel Perez, from Shiremoor, North Tyneside
PA
9/50 29 January 2020
British MEP's and their assistants along with members of the political group Socialist and Democrats at a ceremony prior to the vote on the UK's withdrawal from the EU at the European Parliament in Brussels
AP
10/50 28 January 2020
Torches are lit using a flare ahead of the Up Helly Aa Viking festival. Originating in the 1880s, the festival celebrates Shetland's Norse heritage
PA
11/50 27 January 2020
England bowler Mark Wood is lifted aloft by Joe Root after taking the final wicket of South Africa to win the match and series during day four of the Fourth Test at Wanderers in Johannesburg
Getty
12/50 26 January 2020
Performers taking part in a parade involving costumes, lion dances and floats, during Chinese New Year celebrations in central London, which marks the Year of the Rat
PA
13/50 25 January 2020
A couple walks along the Basingstoke canal near to Dogmersfield in Hampshire
PA
14/50 24 January 2020
Boris Johnson gestures as he watches a performance during celebrations for Chinese Lunar New Year at Downing Street in London
Reuters
15/50 23 January 2020
Gabriella Zaghari-Ratcliffe stands next to her father Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and his mother Barbara, as they address the media in Downing Street following a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson
PA
16/50 22 January 2020
Rosa Connolly takes a close look during a preview of the Tyrannosaurs exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
PA
17/50 21 January 2020
The sun sets behind tower cranes and the London skyline in the city financial district
PA
18/50 20 January 2020
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson as they attend the UK-Africa Investment Summit at the Intercontinental Hotel in London. Johnson is hosting African leaders and senior government representatives along with British and African businesses during the UK-Africa Investment Summit, aimed at strengthening the UKs economic partnership with African nations
Getty
19/50 19 January 2020
Joe Root celebrates with his England team mates after taking the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen during day four of the third Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. He took a career-best four wickets during the day's play, which saw the home side follow on in their second innings. They trail England by 188 runs going into day five
Getty
20/50 18 January 2020
Drag queens pose on the pink carpet as they participate in the "Queen's Walk" during RuPaul's DragCon UK at Kensington Olympia
AFP via Getty
21/50 17 January 2020
Kitty Ross, curator of social history, is pictured reflected in a display cabinet while holding a skeleton violin from the 1880s that forms part of the Sounds of our City exhibition at the Abbey House Museum in Leeds
PA
22/50 16 January 2020
Britain's Harry, Duke of Sussex (C), hosts the Rugby League World Cup 2021 draw in the gardens of Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, 16 Ja​nuary 2020. The Duke, who is expected to step back from senior Royal duties, spoke with Ruby League ambassadors and children from St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School in London
EPA
23/50 15 January 2020
Vehicles negotiate the flooded B4069 road at Christian Malford in Wiltshire after the river Avon burst its banks
PA
24/50 14 January 2020
Huge waves hit the sea wall in Porthcawl, Wales, as gales of up to 80mph from Storm Brendan caused disruption around the UK
PA
25/50 13 January 2020
Puppeteers from Vision Mechanic rehearsing with Scotland's largest puppet, a ten-metre tall sea goddess called Storm, in the grounds of the Museum of Flight, East Lothian. Made entirely from recycled materials, it was unveiled ahead of its debut at the Celtic Connections Costal Day celebrations in Glasgow this weekend
PA
26/50 12 January 2020
A windsurfer jumps in the air after hitting a wave in the sea off of West Wittering beach in West Sussex
PA
27/50 11 January 2020
Mikuru Suzuki celebrates winning the women's championship of the BDO World Professional Darts Championships 2020 in London
PA
28/50 10 January 2020
One of seven new lion cubs at the West Midlands Safari Park in Kidderminster
PA
29/50 9 January 2020
Rawson Robinson, from Nenthead, on the Cumbria and Northumberland border clears snow from the model village he has built in his garden
PA
30/50 8 January 2020
People read messages written on the David Bowie mural in Brixton, south London, on what would have been the singer's 73rd birthday
PA
31/50 7 January 2020
England's Stuart Broad celebrates with teammate Ben Stokes after the dismissal of South Africa's Rassie van der Dussen during the fifth day of the second Test cricket match in Cape Town. Stokes claimed the last three wickets in the space of 14 deliveries to wrap up a 189-run win
AFP via Getty
32/50 6 January 2020
Protesters in London take part in a demonstration in support of a British woman found guilty of lying about being gang raped in Cyprus
AP
33/50 5 January 2020
Protesters demonstrate outside the US Embassy in London, after America killed Iran's general Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad's international airport
PA
34/50 4 January 2020
Metropolitan police cordon off Charteris Road close to the junction with Lennox Road in Finsbury Park in north London, after a man was stabbed to death on Friday evening, the first murder in London in 2020
PA
35/50 3 January 2020
Protesters, holding a photograph of the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran Massoud Rajavi, outside Downing Street in London after the US killed General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad's international airport. Soleimani was head of Tehran's elite Quds Force and Iran's top general
PA
36/50 2 January 2020
A keeper counts squirrel-monkeys at London Zoo during the annual stocktake. Caring for more than 500 different species, ZSL London Zoo's keepers face the challenging task of tallying up every mammal, bird, reptile, fish and invertebrate at the Zoo
AP
37/50 1 January 2020
Peter Wright celebrates winning with the Sid Waddell trophy at the Darts World Championships in London. He stunned Michael van Gerwen to clinch his first title 7-3
PA
38/50 31 December 2019
Surfers at Tynemouth on the north east coast
PA
39/50 30 December 2019
Deer graze in the morning mist as cyclists ride by in Richmond Park, London
Reuters
40/50 29 December 2019
Night sky after the sunset at Whitley Bay in Northumberland
PA
41/50 28 December 2019
The Harlequins players arrive at the stadium prior to the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Big Game 12 match between Harlequins and Leicester Tigers at Twickenahm Stadium
Getty Images for Harlequins
42/50 27 December 2019
A car drives through floodwater near Harbridge, north of Ringwood in Hampshire, after the river Avon burst its banks
PA
43/50 26 December 2019
Participants in the Old Surrey and West Kent Boxing Day Hunt in Chiddingstone. Hunting with horses and hounds is a Boxing Day tradition. Since the fox hunting ban in 2004, modified hunts take place using scented trails for the animals to follow
EPA
44/50 25 December 2019
Swimmers of the Serpentine Swimming Club take part in the Peter Pan Cup race, which is held every Christmas Day at the Serpentine, in central London
PA
45/50 24 December 2019
Shoppers bid for cuts of meat during a Christmas Eve auction in Smithfield market in London
EPA
46/50 23 December 2019
Reggie the dog is rescued with a boat from flooding at the Little Venice Country Park and Marina in Maidstone
AFP via Getty
47/50 22 December 2019
People gather at Stonehenge in Wiltshire to mark the winter solstice, and to witness the sunrise after the longest night of the year
PA
48/50 21 December 2019
Southampton's Jack Stephens scores their second goal against Aston Villa
Reuters
49/50 20 December 2019
The coffin arrives for the funeral of London Bridge terror attack victim Jack Merritt at Great St Mary's Church in Cambridge
PA
50/50 19 December 2019
Queen Elizabeth II and her son Prince Charles walk behind the Imperial State Crown as they proccess through the Royal Gallery, before the Queen's Speech, during the State Opening of Parliament
AFP via Getty
“Nevertheless, there is still a chasm between what children need and what is being provided. More children are seeking help for their mental health and the government needs to make sure that help is available. We are still a decade away from a decent mental health service for all children.”
According the report, children are waiting an average of 53 days to enter treatment. However, for those with eating disorders, where the NHS has introduced new waiting times, the waits are shorter with most children seen within four weeks.
The report also reveals a postcode lottery in care across the country. In four areas, Southwark, Croydon, Corby and Lambeth, 90 per cent of children referred for help received treatment.
But in 10 local areas more than half of children referred didn’t receive any treatment. This included Knowsley where two thirds of children referred for treatment had their referral closed.
Out of 195 clinical commissioning groups, which pay for NHS services in each area, 161 increased spending, per child, on mental health services in 2018-19, an increase overall of £50m.
The NHS has made a particular effort with eating disorders, where there has been a 50 per cent increase in children getting treatment since 2016-17.
Despite this, just 3 per cent of youngsters were referred for help last year, around one in four of the children with a diagnosable mental health condition.
Ms Longfield added: “It is still not clear whether national and local government and the NHS is facing up to the scale of problems in children’s mental health services and the devastating impact this has on children.
“The government doesn’t have a plan for a comprehensive service in every area and there is still no commitment to a counsellor in every school, which would make a huge difference.
“After years of government announcements, children’s mental health remains the poor relation of NHS spending, receiving a fraction of the money invested in adults. Most areas are still spending less than 1 per cent of their budget on children’s mental health services, and the postcode lottery of care means some areas are years ahead of others in improving services.”
In response to the report, Richard Crellin, policy manager at The Children’s Society, said progress on child mental health services had “been painfully slow and is still not good enough for children who are struggling”.
Tom Madders, from the charity YoungMinds, added: “This concerning research reflects what we hear every day from young people and worried parents – that, in many areas, it remains far too difficult to get mental health support.
“Long waiting times and high thresholds for treatment can have a devastating impact – in some cases, young people start to self-harm, drop out of school or become suicidal before they get the help they need.”
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