Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition (CYPMHC)’s Post

Last week we released a new report A Dual Crisis: The hidden link between poverty and mental health with Centre for Mental Health and Save the Children UK. We spoke to young people and parents to gather their views. Let's unpack what we found ⬇ Rates of child poverty and mental health have both increased in recent years📈 4.3 million children in the UK are living in poverty, and around one in five 8-25 year olds has a diagnosable mental health problem. These rates are four times as high for children living in poverty. Rates of poverty are also twice as high for Asian and Black families compared to white families. This means that children and young people from racialised communities are ‘overexposed’ to the dual risks of poverty and poor mental health Young people described feeling worried about sharing their struggles with their parents and parents described feelings of isolation and stress. The social security system, which is supposed to support families, is often leading to increased pressure on them. Inadequate benefits and increased use of sanctions and conditionality are driving poor mental health and causing additional stress. To tackle this we’re calling on the government to: 🟣Tackle the root causes of mental ill health 🟣Increase financial support for families 🟣Reform conditionality and employment support 🟣Increase and lock in available support 🟣Fund the MH system 🟣Roll out MH support in schools Read the full report on our website👇 https://lnkd.in/eQaNeyf3

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