Children and Young People's Mental Health
This health equity programme aims to support the improvement of mental health of children and young people in our region.

Overview
Aiming to improve mental health equity for children and young people in the South West
Strong evidence to support the need in our region and in this demographic group
Engaging with stakeholders to help shape programme design
Detailed Programme Information
Our second Regional Health Equity Programme is focused on Mental Health Services for Young People.
There is strong evidence to support this as a priority in the South West:
- Children’s mental health needs in the South West are higher than in any other region in England.
- The South West has the highest hospital admissions rate in England for young people’s self-harm for ages 10-24.
- Rurality causes barriers to accessing support, exacerbated by poverty, and other exclusion factors.
- There is a greater proportion of children with social, emotional and mental health needs in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly than across the rest of England.
- Children in Devon have poorer mental health outcomes and higher hospital admissions than the national average, particularly in disadvantaged groups.
Health Equity Innovation Challenge 2022 – Children and Young People’s Mental Health, Anxiety

We are delighted to be able to announce the successful applicants of this year’s Health Equity Innovation Challenge!
This year’s Challenge, which is supported by funding from the Office for Life Sciences (OLS), has been designed to focus on identifying and spreading innovative practice to help close health equity gaps for Children and Young People’s Mental Health, with a specific focus on supporting those experiencing, or at risk of, anxiety.
You can find out more about all of the successful applicants in our latest news item.