Call For Mental Health Funding For Children

The Scottish Government are being asked to spend extra budget money on mental health care for young people.

There's a crisis in psychiatric care for children and young people in Scotland.

A coalition of charities and groups who work with patients say there's a real problem and are urging the Scottish Government to spend money on better treatment facilities.

The Scottish Children's Services Coalition, which includes Falkland House School in Fife, have asked the Health Minister to create in-patient services to help, using £25million of additional funding they're expected to get in tomorrow's budget.

They say the money could be used to cut waiting times and create in-patient facilities, instead of sending kids to England for treatment.

Member of the SCSC Sophie Pilgrim commented: "Due to a lack of adequate provision hundreds of vulnerable children and young people are being treated in unsuitable adult or paediatric wards, or being sent miles away from their families to England for treatment. There is also no secure inpatient provision in Scotland for those children and young people with mental health conditions. This is clearly a major concern for any organisation upholding the rights of the child in Scotland.
 
"Scotland aims to lead the way in promoting the wellbeing of children and this funding presents us with a momentous opportunity to rectify the situation and help those families that are in crisis."