Charity Discovers Over 100 Children per Day are Referred to Scotland’s Mental Health Services
Targets for therapy remain unmet, as shown by the data, with campaigners highlighting family trauma often tied to poverty and social media use as root causes.
An alarming average of 100 referrals are made daily to Scotland’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), according to a charity’s revelation on Tuesday.
The acceptance rate for therapy or treatment has slightly decreased from 78 percent in 2019–20, with average waiting times reduced from 12 to eight weeks during the same period.
Waiting Targets Unmet
The waiting times target is for 90 percent of children and young people to receive treatment within 18 weeks of referral, a goal that has never been met since its introduction in 2014.
Officials in Scotland have mentioned an improvement in CAMHS waiting times since last year, though the latest quarterly report saw performance dip slightly to 84.1 percent.
Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive of Children First, stated, “The fact that a staggering 100 referrals for children are being made for mental health support daily is a sad reflection of growing up in Scotland today.”
She called on the Scottish Government to provide more early interventions and support, urging the public to contribute to the charity’s Christmas campaign to help prevent children from reaching a “crisis point.”
Glasgow emphasized, “Scotland’s children should be safe, loved, and happy – not robbed of their childhoods. This must stop. As a nation, we have a responsibility to protect their mental health and wellbeing, and to ensure they receive the support they need.”
‘Childhood Emergency’
The charity recently penned a letter to Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, outlining various reasons for the concerning levels of poor mental health among the nation’s youth, labeling it a “childhood emergency.”
The letter stated, “Stubborn rates of poverty and homelessness in Scotland undermine children’s right to an adequate standard of living, including food, clothing, and housing … it is shameful that one in four children are in poverty and the number of children in temporary accommodation is now over ten thousand.”
The letter also highlighted the impact of smartphones, social media, and harmful online content on children’s mental well-being.
Mental well-being minister Maree Todd mentioned, “We are working to ensure that people get the right support, at the right time, and in the right place. Waiting times are improving, and in the first half of 2024, we saw the best national performance against the standard since the 18-week CAMHS target was introduced a decade ago.”
Todd added that the SNP government has allocated over £65 million to local authorities since 2020 to enhance community-based mental health support for children, young individuals, and their families.
“We have also invested £16 million annually to expand access to school counseling services in every secondary school in Scotland,” Todd concluded.
