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Child mental health

We must work together to improve children's mental health - to put resources into early intervention and prevention, building resilience and ensuring our workforce is trained to spot the signs of mental ill health and equipped to refer and support children.
Why we have a mental health section

Latest news on mental health and wellbing

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Mental health and the NHS

We know that half of all mental health problems have been established by the age of 14 and 75% by age 24. We have submitted evidence to NHS England on how mental health should be considered within the long term plan.
Read College submission
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What changes do we want to see?

Mental health problems not only cause distress but can also be associated with significant problems in other aspects of life and affect life chances. We want to see a regular national survey and promotion of educational resources.
Read article

Making mental health a priority

With the Royal Colleges of GPs (RCGP) and Psychiatrists (RCPsych), we have committed to five principles that we hope lead to tangible actions to improve the care and support of children and young people with mental health problems.
Read article
The Young People's Pocketbook for doctors

Doctor's pocketbook

Our summer intern, Papia (age 17) created a pocketbook to show healthcare professionals young people's expectations of how they wish their doctor’s consultations to be.
Print the pocketbook now

Chatterbox game on wellbeing

Based on the classic children's game, this game provides ‘Facts vs Myths’ surrounding the subject of mental health, which can enable a teacher/healthcare professional to facilitate a discussion regarding this issue
Use the chatterbox now

Emoji card game

This game, designed by Amina (aged 17) one of our Summer 2017 interns, enables a young person to pick the emoji cards that best represent how they are feeling, prompt them to discuss the topic and find out more information.
Download now

Free online mental health resources

MindEd is an online learning and advice resource for anyone interested in, or concerned about, the mental health of children and teenagers. Developed in partnership by experts and parents including RCPCH, it is entirely funded by the UK government, through Health Education England, and is therefore completely free and open to use.

Access MindEd