King’s Maudsley Partnership Welcomes Government Expansion of Mental Health Support Teams

The Partnership has welcomed Government investment in mental health in schools.

The Government has announced a significant expansion of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). The new investment means six in ten pupils will have access to a mental health support team by March 2026, with the rollout prioritised based on NHS identification of local need and reaching the most vulnerable children first.

This is a vital step in recognising the importance of early intervention in schools. Read the full announcement here.

Dr Bruce Clark, Clinical Director at the King’s Maudsley Partnership, said:

Investing in MHSTs is a powerful tool in improving children’s mental health. Effective classroom-based workshops, led by MHSTs, can help young people build skills to tackle stress and symptoms of depression. This welcome increase in investment will help to deliver more evidence-based support and early interventions.

We are keen to see a long-term plan for investing in MHSTs and the workforce delivering it. Looking to the future, it’ll be important to consider the plight of the ‘missing middle’; those children who are not supported because their need is too great for MHST support and not severe enough for specialist mental health support.

As the King’s Maudsley Partnership continues to bridge clinical and academic expertise to transform children and young people’s mental health, we support initiatives that bring evidence-based mental health care directly into schools—and urge continued commitment to closing the support gap for those most in need.

The King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People will transform our understanding and treatment of young people’s mental health through a unique collaboration between specialist clinicians from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and leading academics at King’s College London. Learn more about us.

King’s Maudsley Partnership Welcomes Government Expansion of Mental Health Support Teams

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