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1 in 10 Children Have Mental Health Problems - Government Urged to Legislate
One in ten children are thought to have mental health problems. There are now 5.7 million children diagnosed with ADHD and the use of pyscho-stimulants such as Ritalin is up by 700%
70% of children with Mental Health problems get no interventions at an appropriate age.
New legislation is being called for in a new charter by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on a Fit and Healthy Childhood who want to government to legislate a 2019 Mental Health Bill based on 6 key principles.
- Focus on the needs of children
- Protect children by registering all individuals who work therapeutically with them through an independent government-approved agency such as the Professional Authority’s Accredited Register programme or the Health and Care Professions Council
- Invest in a properly qualified workforce, with Level 7 postgraduate training essential and all professionals who work with children, including teachers, to be trained in mental health awareness, regardless of their own financial resources
- Ensure that policy is informed by the best available and appropriate evidence and is properly funded
- Focus on the needs of parents and carers
- Make policies succeed via ‘joined up working’ between all agencies concerned with child welfare
"The UK Government must deliver on its commitment to ensure that new mental health legislation protects all children who live with mental illness. The effects of our childhoods may indeed 'last a lifetime' but time is precious for children in the here and now." - Helen Clark, Lead Author of the APPG's numerous child health and well-being reports.
The charter is available to read and sign here. and is designed to urge the government to introduce a new Mental Health Bill focusing on children in 2019.
Mental Health & Standing Desks.
The benefits of freedom of movement and exercise generally are universally acknowledged. Our standing desks for kids perpetuate movement and encourage good mental health. The student standing desk encourages participation and it's clear that engaged students are happier students. If you want to trial standing desks in your school you can request a trial here.
For further reading on Mental Health visit the Mental Health Foundation here. They have helpful publications such as talking to your children about healthy internet use.
You may also wish to read:
Kids to Be Taught To Sleep + Go Outside with Friends in 2020
The Problems With Increased Screen Time
Junk Food Adverts Change Children's Taste Buds
According to a new Telegraph article by Professor Dame Sally Davies the Chief Medical Officer for England obesity related sickness is costing the NHS more than 6 billion a year. With the exponential rate at which the childhood obesity crisis is growing the stress on the NHS and the impact on our children's health is undeniable.
We recently reported that the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on a Fit and Healthy Childhood has called for stricter rules in place for junk food companies to tame their child focused marketing including the banning of friendly characters to advertise junk food and pushing back junk food advertising after a 9pm watershed. Well polling now indicates that 70% of people agree with the water shedding of junk food ads and the government has come out this week stating they will be clamping down.
We reported recently that McDonalds were being delivered to schools
"Adverts for foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt are more prolific than any other category of food promotion. In fact, only 1 per cent of adverts are for vegetables!" Professor Davies explains that actually being exposed to the adverts actively changes our children’s taste buds making the battle to glamorise vegetables we wrote about recently in the Vegetable Power campaign an even harder sell.
Public health experts also warn about the growing influence of social media stars and online advertising in manipulating our children into engaging in games produced by advertisers and of course eating unhealthily. Professor Dame Sally Davies says online advertising methods are a growing consideration for the government and new rules will be devised to reflect the government’s pledge to bring in policy to combat the junk food advertisers grasp on our children’s eating habits.
Standing Desks
Standing Desks for kids help educate our children in the language of physical literacy. It's a known fact that active children become active adults and it is our duty of care to expose our kids to a culture of movement. Sitting all day in a chair to learn is counterproductive to this aim and we have helped over a hundred schools in the UK to integrate standing desks to combat the sedentary problem.
Your school can request a student standing desk trial by filling in the form here.
You may want to read:
The telegraph article.
Our article on rising childhood obesity.
The new veg power campaign.
How the government will combat the online problem
Make Policy to Stop Marketing Junk Food To Children says APPG on a Fit and Healthy Childhood
The APPG on a Fit and Healthy Childhood has released a report on the 7th November which insists the government regulate the marketing of junk food to kids. Right now companies only have an opt-in system where they can volunteer to regulate their own marketing to children however only a few particularly virtuous companies have subscribed to the regime and the APPG on a Fit and Healthy Childhoods new report urges the government to implement a series of mandatory regulations to ensure that companies adopt less aggressive measures marketing their products to vulnerable young people.
Child obesity rates are soaring and the World Health Organisation has highlighted the adverse effect that cynical youth-focused marketing is having on the eating and drinking habits of our children. Whilst Public Health England prefers to take a suggestive approach such as making the Change4Life free Sugar Smart and Be Food Smart apps available these measures are criticised as being underwhelming in the battle against childhood obesity in the face of companies ruthless advertising of unhealthy choices.
Lead Author of the report, and chair of the working group Helen Clark said
‘If the Government really cares about the health and fitness of our children, this report should be welcomed. It’s time now to be proactive - simply ‘working with industry’ on marketing doesn’t work!"
Some of the proposed measures in the report include restoring the £600 Million funding cuts back to local councils public health funding and;
- The banning of friendly characters to advertise junk food.
- Pushing back junk food advertising after a 9pm watershed.
- Fully adopt the UNICEF-advocated ‘child rights’ approach.
Helen Clark went on to explain “Actions must be mandatory to benefit all the UK’s children and industry should be given no room to evade beneficial action, ‘get around it’ or, as too many companies are doing today, simply ignore it. It’s time for those who make policy to stand up and be counted in the children’s corner!’
Understanding our Language: The APPG is an acronym for All-Party Parliamentary Group.
Last week we reported that childhood obesity has been linked to 12 major cancers.