We're faced with an undeniable truth - the pandemic did more than just disrupt education for a couple of years, it's impacted the mental health of a generation.
We know that to succeed in our world, gain social skills and expand our brain, school is essential - but what if our kids aren't going? What happens when they're too anxious or depressed to get out of bed?
Councils up and down the country are facing the inevitable tug-of-war of balancing their budgets. But when it comes to the future of our children, the question isn't whether we can afford to invest in them, it's how could we not?
One year on, we're already beginning to see children and families building positive, trusting relationships with the Wellbeing Hubs team. This is an essential part in understanding the underlying reasons why children are struggling with their mental health and/or are reluctant to attend school
The figures speak for themselves. School attendance is down, and mental health referrals are up. In 2023, when I started looking at ways to support our most vulnerable, 24% of secondary-aged children in Royal Greenwich were persistently absent from school, before the pandemic, this figure was 12% - the pandemic has doubled the problem.
Funding for young people and their mental health has been inconsistent and insufficient; resources drained by the previous central government has left local authorities like us with the choice of stepping up or burying our heads in the sand.
We have invested £1.5m into Wellbeing Hubs in schools – one of the biggest projects of this kind and scale in the country. Wellbeing Hubs offer tailored support to students and their families who are struggling, providing a combination of practical help like creating a healthy morning routine and therapeutic interventions like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
It takes a village to raise a child, which is why we're here to help build that network for our families. There is no one way to do it which is why we have a bespoke approach, unique to anything I've ever seen before. We understand the varied and complex ecosystem that affects a child's attendance and mental health - their family, the system, the contextual issues.
Even calling it a framework feels too clinical for what this really is, this is a compassionate and holistic approach to improving the lives of our young people.
One year on, we're already beginning to see children and families building positive, trusting relationships with the Wellbeing Hubs team. This is an essential part in understanding the underlying reasons why children are struggling with their mental health and/or are reluctant to attend school.
One child we're working with has been suffering with low confidence and anxiety, which has affected her school attendance. In the eight weeks since meeting the family, we have offered a wide range of support. On occasions where the child has had a rocky morning that would usually have resulted in them avoiding school that day, the team have been able to accompany the child on their journey to school. Alongside this, we have had weekly 1:1 sessions with the family to empower them in creating boundaries.
In one term, there has been a gradual but sustained improvement in their attendance and self confidence. This is just one of many examples of the work the team are doing.
Our students are on an uneven playing field.
Some schools have the funds to pay for extra mental health and wellbeing provision, but other schools have had to cut back on support to balance precarious budgets.
It's a lottery for a young person whether they can access help, and that's not right.
Mental health affects every part of a child's life, be that whether they can get up for school, make friends and recognise their self-worth. That's why we're going to keep investing, even when financial winds are against us.
I see the struggle parents and carers face who are doing their best but don't have the resources to help their child. I see the frustrations in teachers, who just want their kids to get the most out of school. And most of all, I see young people who need us to put them first.
Our Wellbeing Hubs are not the only solution, but they are a powerful start. Royal Greenwich is just one borough – We hope that the Government look to us as an example of what could be rolled out to address a national crisis.
As we prepare to open our ninth Hub this year, I'm committed to ensuring that every child in the Royal Borough of Greenwich can reach their full potential. This is not just a political issue, it's a human issue and the wellbeing of our children is non-negotiable. We only get one chance to make childhood correct, otherwise we spend years undoing damage caused and never really get to live, succeed and thrive.
Cllr Anthony Okereke is leader of Greenwich LBC
