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'WE'LL SAVE KIDS'
Theresa May to unveil plans for all teachers to be trained in spotting mental health issues in a victory for The Sun
THERESA May will on Monday unveil plans for all teachers to be trained in spotting mental health issues - in a huge victory for The Sun.
Unveiling a package of proposals to tackle the spiralling mental health crisis among younger generations, the Prime Minister applauds our ‘You’re Not Alone’ campaign.
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And she details a raft of measures to prevent the tragic numbers of people taking their own lives. She says: “The next great revolution in mental health should in prevention.”
Amid growing concerns about the impact of social media on kids, teachers are to be trained in spotting the signs of mental health issues in the classroom.
Updated statutory guidance will make clear schools’ responsibilities in protecting children.
And the Government will push the button on greater support for schools on tackling self-harm and more funding for councils across England.
THERE IS HOPE
The Sun launched ‘You’re Not Alone’ in September last year – to remind anyone facing a tough time or grappling with mental illness that there is hope.
Writing today, the Prime Minister says: “Today more than ever in the past we hear people bravely opening up about their mental health problems.
“People are breaking the silence in one of the biggest shifts in attitudes towards mental health since Victorian era asylums were shut down.
“I applaud The Sun’s You’re Not Alone and Let’s Talk campaigns – which aim to help prevent the tragic numbers of people who take their own lives every year. What this has highlighted is how much further we need to go.”
On top of the package of measures, the outgoing PM also reveals the country will see the biggest campaign yet to raise awareness of mental health issues this autumn.
She also ties her successor to producing a White Paper response to Sir Simon Wessely’s independent review of the Mental Health Act, setting out steps to tackle the unequal treatment faced by ethnic minorities.
Today’s push is the latest in a series of ‘legacy’ announcements by Mrs May – who will visit a school in south-west London to detail the plan.
WHERE TO GET HELP
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
- CALM, , 0800 585 858
- Heads Together,
- Mind, , 0300 123 3393
- Papyrus,, 0800 068 41 41
- Samaritans, , 116 123
most read in politics
She last week announced plans to change the law to commit Britain to targeting ‘net zero’ carbon emissions by 2050.
And she is involved in a bitter spat with the Treasury over her hope to announce a £27 billion three-year school funding plan.
One Whitehall figure said on Sunday: “It really has to be a decision for the next person. It is just not moral for the PM to make this commitment.”
Let's show all minds matter
TODAY, more than ever in the past, we hear people bravely opening up about their mental health problems.
Their courage in speaking out is an inspiration. It couldn’t be more different to the world I grew up in when too often mental health problems were hushed up or shut away. Or people were told: “Pull yourself together.”
Thankfully, such attitudes are changing. I applaud The Sun’s You’re Not Alone and Let’s Talk campaigns — which aim to help prevent the tragic numbers of people who take their own lives every year.
As Prime Minister, I have been determined mental health should be treated with the same seriousness as physical health. That’s why I made it a priority when I pledged the biggest-ever cash injection for our NHS a year ago today.
I have guaranteed mental health funding will grow as a proportion of the overall NHS budget, putting in an extra £2.3billion a year in real terms by 2023/24.
That money will expand mental health services to support an extra 345,000 children, at least 380,000 more adults and 24,000 more new and expectant mothers.
I believe the next great revolution in mental health should be in prevention.
So, this autumn we will launch this country’s largest ever mental health campaign to let people know what they can do to improve their mental health and support others.
Our campaign, Every Mind Matters, will train over a million people in mental health awareness. We will also provide better support for parents with babies or toddlers and, through our new scheme, Breathing Space, we will give people struggling with debt a break while they seek help.
As Home Secretary, I challenged the detention of people with mental health problems in police cells.
Numbers have fallen from 9,000 in 2011 to less than 400. But I want to see this practice eliminated altogether.
So, following the independent review of the Mental Health Act, we will ban this practice outright and bring forward new legislation to overhaul mental health laws.
As Prime Minister, I am proud to have helped set in train the biggest transformation in mental health care in more than a generation. My successor must build on that work for the good of everyone, in every part of our country.
- By Theresa May, Prime Minister
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