Every £1 spent on mental health support for children could return £6.20 for society

A study formulated by Pro Bono Economics and mental health charity Place2Be has found that investing in early intervention for mental health issues can have a positive long-term impact on the economy.

The BBC reported the following key findings from the analysis:

• The potential benefit per child could be a saving of £2,050 in areas such as health and crime.
• The average lifetime earnings per child is estimated to rise by around £3,568.
• Early mental health interventions could benefit the economy by £5,618 per child.

With around 50% of mental health issues arising before the age of 14 and an estimated 20% of children experiencing such a difficulty before they leave primary school, Paul Whiteman from school leaders’ union NAHT explained, “this research shows so clearly the positive impact early help can have for individuals and for society. It would be a sensible investment for the government to fully fund a universal rollout of mental health and wellbeing support in all schools.”

Tom Madders from YoungMinds suggested that a change of emphasis in schools needs to be addressed for relevant support to be put in place. “At the moment, as most teachers agree, the education system is unbalanced with a far greater emphasis on academic performance than the wellbeing of students.”

Back in March, teacher Tom Boldy openly told Evolve about his battle with mental health illness as a child. He believes that more education on the subject should be rolled out in schools. “By educating our future generations at an early stage in their life (school) this could provide the children with knowledge of mental illnesses and ways and means of getting support and helping if they ever happen to suffer with an illness.”

It is a subject fully integrated into our mission at Evolve with specially trained Health Mentors supporting young people across the country with their emotional and physical health and wellbeing on a daily basis. Click here to find out how our staff can make a positive impact on your school.