Commenting on the Local Government Association’s report showing a
surge in children with mental health problems seen by social
workers during the pandemic, Margaret Mulholland, SEND and
Inclusion Specialist at the Association of School and College
Leaders, said:
“We thank the Local Government Association for this important
report, which presents a truly shocking picture of the way the
disruption wrought by the pandemic has impacted on the mental
wellbeing of children and young people.
“The lockdowns of 2020 and early 2021 now seem like something of
a distant memory but the impact they had on children and young
people, and particularly on those who are vulnerable,
disadvantaged or with special educational needs, was significant.
Their familiar routines and support mechanisms literally
evaporated overnight on several occasions and the effects on
their mental health have been both profound and long-lasting.
“The major surprise is that the LGA report does not address or
acknowledge the vital role schools and colleges can and should
play in identifying students who are struggling with their mental
health and in preventing problems developing.
“As well as this report, recording a 25 per cent increase in
children and young people having been assessed by social workers
as needing mental health support, we are also hearing worrying
concerns from schools and colleges about student wellbeing, with
a rise in anxiety, coupled with a loss of confidence and
self-esteem, having an impact on learning and attendance.
“There are also deeper, and less immediately apparent, concerns
about problems children and young people are increasingly having
with initiating and building relationships. These are longer term
issues that, if not properly addressed, can result in loneliness,
suicidal ideation and online risks heightening.
“Access to clinical support for student wellbeing and mental
health is an issue, with some schools and colleges reporting
waiting times of up to two years for children and young people
whose needs they describe as serious but not yet acute. Mental
Health Support Teams are helping with the volume but there is a
gap in provision that needs to be plugged.
“We fully back and reinforce the LGA’s call for government to
urgently address the mental health crisis among children and
young people by working with all those involved – schools,
colleges, local councils and the NHS – on a post-pandemic
recovery plan.”
