The experience of Covid-19 has shone a further light into the urgent need for a new Mental Health Act. There has been no legislative update since 1989 \u2013 and lots of fruitless \u2018pilot schemes\u2019 with no statutory force, no national roll-out and no proper funding streams guaranteed.<\/p>\n
Many children with existing conditions have experienced a sharp deterioration in their mental health since the onset of the pandemic and others have developed a mental health illness for the very first time. Reasons for this shocking development are some, or all, of the following:<\/p>\n
Do select from the above information to write letters\/emails asking your MP to sign our new EDM 685: the Effect of the Covid-19 outbreak on Children\u2019s Mental Health https:\/\/edm.parliament.uk\/early-day-motion\/57210\/effect-of-the-covid19-outbreak-on-childrens-mental-health<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our key campaign objectives now<\/em> MUST be to succeed in getting the Government to set clear dates and times for the promised reform of the Mental Health Act to begin its progress through the House of Commons and a definite, unswerving commitment to place the urgent needs of children at the heart of the new legislation.<\/p>\n Please therefore confine your approaches to MPs to these two objectives. When we have achieved them, we can return to wider essential themes, such as the Six Principles in the Charter.<\/p>\n MPs are now (understandably and in the interests of safety) not holding \u2018face-to face\u2019 appointment surgeries in their constituencies because of the pandemic. However, their postbags and email trails have never been so busy! Please write\/email and ask them to sign the EDM.<\/p>\n