Early Day Motion – September 2020

Child Mental Health Charter Campaign Manager Helen Clark is delighted to introduce a new campaigning Early Day Motion: A covid-19 recovery mental health strategy for children tabled in the House of Commons on 24th September 2020 by Dr Lisa Cameron MP. Helen Clark said:

‘I am urging everyone who supports our Child Mental Health Charter Campaign to contact their local constituency MP and ask them to sign this important new Motion, tabled on 24th September in the House of Commons by Dr Lisa Cameron MP.

As the Motion states, it is now absolutely vital that the Government announce a clear and distinct strategy for the mental health and wellbeing of children; focusing specifically on the covid- 19 pandemic. Organisations whether professional, academic or voluntary and essential services including the police have stressed from the outset that children’s mental health is at ever-increasing risk from this pandemic.

The draconian lockdown alone was catastrophic for many and the subsequent September national return to school has seen the crisis increasing with no adequate support whatsoever announced for children returning with adverse mental health conditions either worsened by the pandemic situation – or even initiated by the changes to their living conditions that it has brought to bear on daily lives.

Now we even have the Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Officer Sir Patrick Valance in their 21st September address to the nation from 10 Downing Street , pointing to the renewed risk to mental health if, as is feared, we are approaching a Phase Two of this terrible disease.

Dr Cameron’s new Motion calls for the Government to not only publish ‘a distinctive Mental Health Strategy for Children and Young People, focusing on the covid-19 pandemic ‘ but just as crucially insists that ‘the mental health of children and young people will be placed at heart of the overall Covid-19 Recovery Plan.’

We need as many MPs as possible to sign this Motion in support. Please make sure that YOUR MP is one of the first to do so. Contact them by letter or email TODAY and don’t forget to Coe mail helenrclark@ntlworld.com to give any news and request further help and advice concerning this.’

View the EDM on the Parliamentary Website

MPs Who Have Signed So Far…

We need your help to get more signatures on this EDM. Please contact your MP (use this link to find his or her email address) and ask them to sign.