IGHI presents findings on mental health support needed for children under 13

The Centre for Health Policy presented on a report produced with Mental Health Innovations (MHI) on the mental health of children aged 13 and younger, and how to improve the support they receive.

At a Bank of England event, hosted by MHI, to mark the formal launch of the report The New Childhood: Mental Health in a Connected Age, IGHI Director Professor the Lord Ara Darzi and policy fellow Dr Chris Agape Ajah spoke about the report and Imperial’s partnership with MHI.

The event, entitled “Growing Well in a Connected Age: Reimagining Mental Health Support for Children Under 13”, focused on recently published research into the mental health needs of children 13 and under and how to better support them.

Chris Agape Ajah, lead author of the report, highlighted the need of young people for better support in his speech: “The NHS reports that one in five children aged 8 to 16 have a probable mental health disorder and over half of all mental health challenges begin before the age of 14. [But] there is currently no mental health service designed specifically for this age group.”

If we are serious about improving mental health across a person's lifetime, we have to be serious about early intervention. This is precisely where charities like Mental Health Innovations do something that more traditional institutions often struggle to do: they innovate. Professor the Lord Ara Darzi Director, Institute of Global Health Innovation

In his keynote address, Prof the Lord Ara Darzi said: “If we are serious about improving mental health across a person's lifetime, we have to be serious about early intervention. That means engaging with children long before they reach the services that were, frankly, designed with teenagers and adults in mind.

“This is precisely where charities like Mental Health Innovations do something that more traditional institutions often struggle to do: they innovate."

At the event MHI attendees discussed the transition period from childhood to adolescence and the need for dedicated digital support for 10-13 year olds.

The IGHI report recommendations include:

• When it comes to mental health support, recognising younger children as a distinct group rather than a subset of ‘children and young people’.  

• Supporting them earlier with tools that children can and will use, particularly in schools, community settings, and carefully governed digital spaces.
• Helping adults to support children effectively. 

The Centre for Health Policy is one of the Institute of Global Health Innovation’s Centres of Excellence.