Today the King’s Speech was delivered, and as a group of organisations and individuals representing the rights of children and young people, we are deeply disappointed that there was no commitment to bring forward a Mental Health Bill to reform the Mental Health Act.
For too long, the Mental Health Act has failed people who require mental health care and reforms are long overdue. Inequalities in the disproportionate use of detentions, high levels of restraint – particularly experienced by children and young people – and the removal of patient autonomy are just some of the problems with the Act in its current form. Reforming the Act would provide a vital opportunity to enhance children and young people’s rights, to strengthen safeguards for those admitted to mental health hospitals – particularly for children placed in inappropriate settings and in adult wards – and to re-balance the system to one that prioritises and promotes patient voice and choice in their treatment.
As a sector, we are increasingly concerned that mental health is no longer a political priority. With the loss of the ten-year mental health plan earlier this year, the promise to reform the Mental Health Act is yet another commitment abandoned by this Government. Sadly, it is children, young people and their families that are most impacted by these failed promises.
We are clear that work to promote mental health and improve the mental health care of all children and young people cannot stall. Whilst we want to see new legislation, we also need action outside of lengthy parliamentary processes to ensure that there are changes and improvements as soon as possible. A lack of legislation does not prevent the Government from acting now to ensure that sufficient resources are invested so that all children and young people get the mental health support they need, at the time they need it.
Signed by:
Amy Whitelock Gibbs, Chair, Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition
Andy Bell, CEO, Centre for Mental Health
Alison Oliver, CEO, Youth Sport Trust
Allan Myatt, CEO, Ormiston Families
Anna Edmundson, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, NSPCC
Anne Longfield, Chair, Commission on Young Lives
Bec Jasper, Co-director PACT Parents and Carers Together CIC
Brian Dow, Chief Executive, Mental Health UK
Dr Cath Lowther, General Secretary, Association of Educational Psychologists
Cassi Harrison, CEO, Youth Access
Catherine Roche, CEO, Place2Be
Clare Stafford, CEO, Charlie Waller Trust
Conor Warren, CEO of Spark UK
David Holmes CBE, CEO, Family Action
Dympna Cunnane, CEO, Our Time
Ellie Costello, CEO, Square Peg
Emma Rigby, Chief Executive, Association of Young People’s Health
Ged Flynn, Chief Executive, PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide
Hansa Raja, CEO, Holding Space
Harriet Gill, Manager Director – Education and Wellbeing, Coram Life Education and SCARF
Jabeer Butt, Chief Executive, Race Equality Foundation
Jacqui Suttie, CEO and Founder, PTSD UK
Jane Sedgwick, Director, Associate Development Solutions
Jillian Popkins, Interim Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF UK
Jonathan Senker, Chief Executive, VoiceAbility
Jonny Benjamin MBE, Founder and Chair, Beyond
Jyles Robillard-Day, CEO, National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS)
Katharine Sacks-Jones, CEO, Become
Kathy Roberts, CEO, Association of Mental Health Providers
Karen Carrington, Headteacher, The Cambian Group (Dunbroch School)
Laura Bunt, CEO, YoungMinds
Laura Seebohm, CEO, Maternal Mental Health Alliance
Lea Milligan, CEO, MQ Mental Health Research
Leigh Middleton, CEO, The National Youth Agency
Leigh Wallbank, CEO, OCD Action
Lesley Pollard, CEO, Children and Young People’s Empowerment Project
Liz Emerson, Co-Founder, Intergenerational Foundation
Louisa Rose, CEO, Beyond
Louise King, Director, Children’s Rights Alliance for England (part of Just for Kids Law)
Lynn Perry, CEO, Barnardo’s
Maggie Cleary, Chief Executive Officer, STRM – SEND the Right Message
Mark Lee, Chief Executive, Together Trust
Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive, Rethink Mental Illness
Millie Hall, Children and Young’s People Activism Lead, Article 39
Neil Moggan – Founding Director – Future Action
Dr Nihara Krause MBE, Founder, CEO and Chief Clinical Officer, stem4
Paula Farrow, CEO and Founder, MyOTAS
Penny Logsdail, Director, Summerhouse Services
Phil Anderson, Director of External Affairs, National Children’s Bureau
Professor Peter Fonagy OBE, Chief Executive, Anna Freud
Raj Ubhi, Director – Children and Young People’s Services, Change Grow Live
Rachel Bundock, Chief Executive, Compass – Services to Improve Health and Wellbeing
Reshmi Copperthwaite, Programme Lead for Education and Equalities, Council for Disabled Children
Robbie de Santos, Director of Communications and External Affairs, Stonewall
Rosie Tressler OBE, CEO, Student Minds
Sam Gamblin, Charity Manager, University Mental Health Advisers Network
Sarb Bajwa, Chief Executive, British Psychological Society
Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive, Mind
Sarah Shenow, Strategy and Research Impact Consultant, Sarah Shenow Consultancy
Shantanu Kundu, Chief Executive, Be Free Campaign
Sharon White OBE, CEO, SAPHNA
Simone Spray, CEO, 42nd Street
Sue Bell, CEO and Clinical Director, Kids Inspire
Vanessa Longley, CEO, Chance UK
Wendy Minhinnet BEM, Co-Creator, Rollercoaster Family Support
