- I wish to inform the House that the Government have provided additional funding so that 24 early support hubs across England are able to help children and young people receive quicker mental health support.The Government are taking the long-term decisions needed to make our healthcare system faster, simpler and fairer. Mental health support for our young people is a key part of that.We announced in October 2023 that £4.92 million from HM Treasury’s shared outcomes fund would be available to support hubs and an evaluation to build the evidence base underpinning these services.Following evaluation of excellent commercial tenders from hubs across the country, I am very pleased to be able to let you know that the Government are now providing an additional £3 million, meaning a total of 24 hubs will receive a share of almost £8 million in 2024-25. This is more than double our original target of funding 10 hubs, and organisations across the length of England—from Gateshead to Truro—will now benefit.This investment in frontline services means that thousands of children and young people will receive earlier, open-access mental health interventions in local communities.Crucially, alongside boosting 24 hubs, the funding will also enable us to evaluate the impact of the services and inform any potential expansion of the model in the future. The evaluation aims to report its findings by summer 2025.As this new investment shows, we want to intervene earlier to prevent children and young people from developing severe or enduring mental health conditions. That is why we are also continuing at pace with the roll-out of mental health support teams to schools and colleges in England. There are currently around 400 mental health support teams in place across England, covering over 3 million children or around 35% of pupils in schools and colleges, and we are extending coverage to at least 50% of pupils in England by the end of March 2025.I know that we still have a long way to go to ensure that all young people struggling with their mental health get the support they need at the right time, but today’s new investment is a positive step to support children and young people’s mental health, and one that should be celebrated.Early Support Hubs Receiving Funding
Hub Name
Constituency
ABL Health
Bolton South East, Yasmin Qureshi
Base 25
Wolverhampton South West, Stuart Anderson
Brook Young People
Truro and Falmouth, Cherilyn Mackrory
Brent, Wandsworth and Westminster Mind
Cities of London and Westminster, Nickie Aiken
Centre 33
Cambridge, Daniel Zeichner
ChilyPep
Barnsley Central, Dan Jarvis
The Children’s Society
Torbay, Kevin Foster
The Children’s Society
Gateshead, Ian Mearns
CHUMS Charity
Mid Bedfordshire, Alistair Strathern
Family Action
Hackney South and Shoreditch, Meg Hillier
Isle of Wight Youth Trust
Isle of Wight, Bob Seely
Lancashire Mind
Chorley, Lindsay Hoyle
Mancroft Advice Project (MAP)
Norwich South, Clive Lewis
Noah's Ark Centre
Hallifax, Holly Lynch
No Limits South
Southampton Test, Alan Whitehead
Onside
Worcester, Robin Walker
People Potential Possibilities
Erewash, Maggie Throup
Sheffield Futures
Sheffield Central, Paul Blomfield
Spring North
North Blackburn, Kate Hollern
Warrington Youth Zone Limited
Warrington South, Andy Carter
YMCA St Helens
St Helens South and Whiston, Marie Rimmer
Young Devon
North Devon, Selaine Saxby
Youth Enquiry Service
Wycombe, Steve Baker
YPAS
Liverpool, Riverside, Kim Johnson
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