We’re thrilled with today’s announcement of £3 million additional Government funding for early support mental health hubs, which will provide much needed support to young people, in the heart of their community.

Last October the Government announced £4.92 million would be available for 10 Early Support Hubs to fund services for one year. It's now providing an additional £3 million to expand the number of hubs to 24 across the country.

The announcement follows years of campaigning by the Fund The Hubs coalition, of which we’re a member, along with many other leading mental health charities and organisations.1

How do hubs help?

The hubs provide free access to qualified counsellors alongside other key support services for children and young people, almost like a one-stop-shop. This is based on the successful Youth Access’s youth, information, advice and counselling (YIACS) model that was designed and developed with young people’s needs and rights in mind, providing a holistic, person-first approach.

Jo Holmes, our Children, Young People and Families Lead said:

“This is fantastic news. We know from NHS data that one in five children have a diagnosable mental health condition. Investment in early support mental health hubs will help with the growing demand and prevent issues becoming more complex over time.

"At a time when Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are under so much pressure, it’s good to see the Government investing in hubs that support young people before they reach crisis and prevent an overwhelming demand on mental health services in years to come.

“We’ll keep the pressure on all political parties ahead of the general election to keep and extend their support for funding youth mental health hubs. We want every young person in every community across the UK to be able to access the support they need.

“We have more than 19,000 members who are trained to work therapeutically with children and young people. They’re ready to be part of the solution to the current children’s and young people’s mental health crisis.”

Hubs respond to news of additional funding

We’re pleased that eight of our organisational members will receive some of this additional funding. Read responses from two of these below.

Sheffield Futures

Sheffield Futures’ open-access ‘Door 43’ mental health and wellbeing service for young people aged 13 to 25 is a city centred based hub which offers social prescribing, wellbeing support and counselling.

Sheffield Futures’ Communications and Business Development Manager, Kirsty Sandamas, said:

“This funding will enable Sheffield Futures to extend the delivery of its well-established city centre service, closer to home for young people in the northeast of the city.

“We will deliver interventions over the funded period and use the outcomes and impact to support the case for developing a city-wide hub-and-spoke model in support of our vision to make Sheffield the best place in the UK to be a young person.”

Young Persons Advisory Service (YPAS) Liverpool

YPAS is a Merseyside-based charity that supports five to 25 year olds and families to address their mental health and emotional wellbeing difficulties. Its services are delivered in venues that include primary and secondary schools, three community hubs and GP surgeries.

Monique Collier, CEO – YPAS Liverpool, said:

“We’re honoured to be chosen as one of the delivery partners for the one-year DHSC funding. This is a testament to our collective dedication to ensuring accessible and inclusive support for young people across the country.

“We are excited for this opportunity as we continue to make a positive impact on the lives of young people and look forward to continuing our efforts in collaboration with partners and stakeholders”.

References

1.Fund the Hubs campaign group: BACP, Black Thrive Global, Centre for Mental Health, The Children’s Society, Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Mind, Youth Access, YoungMinds.