Milton Keynes City Council is working with Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB) to expand emotional wellbeing and mental health support for young people via a new early intervention service.
The new service is designed for young people aged 7 - 18 and up to 25 for young people with care experience or special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The advice and support will be offered through telephone, virtual and in-person sessions and young people may be helped to find support from other professionals. Helping early is intended to reduce the need for more significant interventions later on, such as those provided by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
It’s being developed in addition to mental health services provided by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL), who will continue to offer professionals and young people a wide range of support including within schools, crisis and urgent care. There is also a range of support provided by the voluntary and community sector.
The new early intervention service, funded via MK City Council and BLMK ICB is expected to be available from July 2025 and will run for an initial three years.
“We know there are thousands of local children and young people who could benefit from help at an earlier stage. At present, health services are stretched and there are gaps in support for young people with emotional and mental wellbeing needs. Our new service will offer up to 600 spaces per year on community-based emotional wellbeing and mental health advice and support programmes, and a further 150 spaces on talking therapy-type programmes.”
It is estimated that one in five, almost 13,000 young people aged 8-25 years in Milton Keynes have a diagnosable mental health condition.