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<p>The government appreciates the concerns raised from the findings of the Children
Society’s Good Childhood Report 2020. We believe that the safety and wellbeing of
children and young people is of fundamental importance, and the government is supporting
the education sector to identify and respond to children and young people’s individual
needs. It is crucial that children and young people are able to access the help and
support they require to keep them healthy and safe.</p><p>We look at the range of
data that is available on children’s wellbeing. On World Mental Health Day 2019, we
published the first annual ‘State of the Nation’ report to highlight the trends and
issues in young people’s mental wellbeing. The report brought together existing data
to improve understanding and help to inform the support we provide to children and
young people. We published a second report in 2020, which focused on the experiences
of children and young people during the COVID outbreak. It is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2020-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-nation-2020-children-and-young-peoples-wellbeing</a>.</p><p>To
support this work, we are working with the Department of Health and Social Care and
NHS England to deliver our joint green paper delivery programme. The government’s
3 core commitments are to incentivise and support all schools and colleges to identify
and train a senior mental health lead, to fund new Mental Health Support Teams supervised
by NHS mental health staff and to pilot a 4 week waiting time for accessing specialist
NHS mental health services.</p><p>We are supplementing this with other support, including
a randomised control trial of a range of different school approaches to promoting
good mental wellbeing which is one of the largest of its kind in the world. This sits
alongside guidance on mental health and behaviour and offering effective school-based
counselling.</p><p>The government has made children’s mental health and wellbeing
a central part of our response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The return to school for
all pupils on 8 March was prioritised due to the significant and proven impact caused
by being out of school, including on wellbeing.</p><p>We have been clear that schools
can use their existing additional COVID-19 catch-up funding for pastoral support for
mental wellbeing where pupils need it, and many schools are doing so. In addition
to this, the return to school for all pupils on 8 March has been supported with a
new £700 million package, which includes a new one-off Recovery Premium for state
primary, secondary and special schools to use as they see best to support disadvantaged
students. This will help schools to provide their disadvantaged pupils with a one-off
boost to the support, both academic and pastoral, that has been proved most effective
in helping them recover from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.</p>
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