Extra funding announced for children’s mental health hubs

The government has announced extra funding for early support hubs to help children and young people receive better mental health support across the country.

The drop-in centres offer mental health support and advice to young people without a referral by a doctor or school. Services provided include group work, counselling, psychological therapies, specialist advice and signposting to information and other services.

In October 2023, the government said that £4.92 million would be available for 10 early support hubs. It is now providing an additional £3 million to expand the number of hubs to 24 across the country – ranging from Exeter to Liverpool.

The hubs are open to those aged 11 to 25, and are available for anyone who may not meet the threshold to receive NHS support. Youngsters going through the trauma of worry, anxiety or stress will have a physical space to go to when their problems first emerge.

A network of around 70 early support hubs currently exist across the country. They are run by a range of local services including volunteer organisations, NHS trusts and local authorities.

Hubs provide much needed early mental health support for young people

The funding was welcomed by the Fund the Hubs campaign group, which is made up of BACP, Black Thrive Global, Centre for Mental Health, The Children’s Society, Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Mind, Youth Access, and YoungMinds.

A spokesperson said: “The funding recognises the vital role that these hubs can play in easing the huge pressure services are under and provide much needed early mental health support for young people.

“Thousands of young people and experts are still fighting hard to fund the hubs. These spaces mean young people can get support for their mental health as soon as they need it. We welcome this step forward and hope that a sustainably funded full national rollout will soon follow, so every young person can benefit from mental health support in their local community.”

According to a Fund the Hubs survey, two-thirds of people people could not find support when they first needed it. In addition, three-quarters (78%) of young people in the same survey said that they had had to manage their mental health on their own when they couldn’t find help elsewhere, but only 17% felt confident in their ability to manage their mental health by themselves.