A campaigner and former government minister visited Southwark’s mental health service for young people last week to call on the government to do more to help tackle mental health problems early on.
Sir Norman Lamb went to the Nest on Rye Lane in Peckham on Friday (January 28). Sir Norman runs a young people’s mental health group, which supports the Fund the Hubs campaign. The campaign wants to give more money for early intervention for people with mental health problems.
Southwark Council launched the Nest in May 2020, and recently became the first local council to publicly pledge its support to the campaign.
Cllr Jasmine Ali, Southwark’s deputy leader and cabinet member for children, young people and education, said: “Even before the pandemic, too many young people had nowhere to turn when they first started struggling with their mental health. Through seeing The Nest’s positive impact on young people’s lives, we believe early support hubs are the answer.
“[The government] owe it to young people in Southwark and across the country to act now and invest in early support hubs.”
Sir Norman Lamb added: “The Nest provides the perfect example why services of this kind provide a lifeline to children and young people struggling to get the support they need with their mental health.
“Southwark has shown real commitment in ensuring that children and young people can access early support in their local community. However, this is not replicated across the country. We look forward to working with The Nest and Southwark Council as part of the Fund the Hubs campaign to make sure that all children and young people, no matter where they live, can access an early support hub.”