MP to hold teenage mental health summit

Arundel & South Downs MP Nick Herbert has announced that he will be convening a summit to look at the way teenage mental health is managed locally.

The MP announced the event on World Mental Health Day which fell on Tuesday this week (10 October).

The summit will be chaired by Nick Herbert and hosted by Steyning Grammar School on Friday 24 November.  He will be calling together local organisations and professionals who have a responsibility for identifying and treating teenage mental health issues.  An audience of young people will be invited to listen and take part.

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced in August that the Government will tackle this issue.  The Government has recognised that early intervention, and giving young people the confidence to access support, is key to managing their health and preventing problems in adulthood.

Mr Herbert said that he was inspired to hold the summit after meeting young constituents in his regular surgeries who raised their concerns and shared their personal experience of mental health issues.  The MP has previously held successful local summits on autism and on broadband provision.

A recent report by the Children’s Society estimated that 1 in 10 young people aged between 5 and 16 had a clinically diagnosed mental health problem.  That is around 1,300 children in need of support in the Arundel & South Downs constituency alone.

Nick Herbert said: “I have become increasingly aware of the problem of mental health conditions in young people and the need to ensure effective support for them.  I was deeply impressed by the young people who came to see me in my surgery to share their experiences, and that’s why I decided to hold the local summit.

“I hope that the event will provide an opportunity for all those with an interest the issue to discuss what can be done to support young people with mental health conditions.”

ENDS

Notes

   1.     The Children’s Society report, produced in June 2017, can be read here

   2.     The Teenage Mental Health summit will be taking place on Friday 24 November at 4pm at Steyning Grammar School.  Please contact Michelle Taylor on michelle@nickherbert.com if you would like more information or wish to register your attendance.

   3.     To read the news release from 10 Downing Street (published 18 August 2017) ‘Young people to benefit from new mental health awareness course’ see www.gov.uk/government/news/young-people-to-benefit-from-new-mental-health-awareness-course.