I wish to inform the House that the government has provided additional funding so that 24 Early Support Hubs across England are able to help children and young people receive quicker mental health support.

The government is taking the long-term decisions needed to make our healthcare system faster, simpler and fairer. Mental health support for our young people is a key part of that.

We announced in October 2023 that £4.92 million from HM Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund would be available to support hubs and an evaluation to build the evidence base underpinning these services.

Following evaluation of excellent commercial tenders from hubs across the country, I am very pleased to be able to let you know that the government is now providing an additional £3 million, meaning a total of 24 hubs will receive a share of almost £8 million in 2024/25. This is more than double our original target of funding 10 hubs, and organisations across the length of England – from Gateshead to Truro – will now benefit.

This investment in front-line services means that thousands of children and young people will receive earlier, open-access mental health interventions in local communities.

Crucially, alongside boosting 24 hubs, the funding will also enable us to evaluate the impact of the services and inform any potential expansion of the model in the future. The evaluation aims to report its findings by Summer 2025.

As this new investment shows, we want to intervene earlier to prevent children and young people from developing severe or enduring mental health conditions. That is why we are also continuing at pace with the roll-out of mental health support teams to schools and colleges in England. There are currently around 400 mental health support teams in place across England, covering over 3 million children or around 35% of pupils in schools and colleges, and we are extending coverage to at least 50% of pupils in England by the end of March 2025.

I know that we still have a long way to go to ensure that all young people struggling with their mental health get the support they need at the right time but today’s new investment is a positive step to support children and young people’s mental health and one that should be celebrated.

Early Support Hubs receiving funding