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Mental Health Services: Young People

Answer

The Government has not made a specific estimate of the total resources required to deliver open-access mental health support for children and young people in every community. However, we are already investing in a range of early intervention and prevention measures to expand access to support and ensure young people can get help before problems escalate. This includes continuing the rollout of mental health support teams in schools and colleges, with full national coverage by 2029, and backing early support hubs which provide open-access mental health support for young people aged 11 to 25 years old without the need for referral. On 11 February 2026, the Department announced a further £7 million in funding for 24 early support hubs, enabling at least 10,000 additional mental health and wellbeing interventions and strengthening the evidence base for community-based early intervention support. The total funding is over £20 million across three years, which will deliver over 30,000 interventions.

The Government is also committed to opening 50 young futures hubs by the end of this Parliament. As of April 2026, eight are operational, with a further 42 to be rolled out. These hubs will bring together local services at a community level to improve access to opportunities, promote mental health and wellbeing, and provide early support for children and young people.

These investments form part of the Government’s wider commitment to shift mental health services from treatment to prevention. We are developing a new mental health strategy for England, to be published later this year, which will aim to ensure people receive support earlier, reduce waiting times, strengthen prevention and early intervention, and consider the role of schools, local government, community organisations, and wider public services in supporting mental health and wellbeing.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

17212

Session

2026-27

Subjects

Mental health services Young people

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk