Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help prevent loneliness and social isolation among younger people.

Loneliness and isolation in younger people may be due to a variety of complex reasons and there is no single solution; prevention and early intervention are key. The Department for Education’s provisions for early years, schools and vulnerable children all play a part in promoting social contact and assisting families to support children more effectively.

Schools can play a significant role in promoting good mental health and emotional wellbeing, which helps their pupils integrate and get the most out of the education, by supporting children and young people who are facing difficulties. Every state-funded school in England must offer a broad and balanced curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural and physical development of pupils. In doing so, we expect schools to make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and to provide a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for pupils to develop their character.

When loneliness and isolation leads to mental health difficulties, there is a range of support available to schools. Our Mental Health and Behaviour advice helps teachers to identify and support pupils with mental health needs, including being aware of when children become withdrawn and isolated: www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2. Our blueprint for school counselling services provides schools with practical, evidence-based advice on how to deliver high quality school based counselling: www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools.

The government has made children and young people’s mental health support a priority and we are investing an additional £1.4 billion in children and young people’s and perinatal mental health services over the next 5 years. On top of this the Department for Education is also providing funding worth £4.9 million this year, through a dedicated mental health strand within our VCS programme, which includes supporting children and young people with issues such as bereavement. For those children and young people with caring responsibility, who are particularly at risk of isolation, we have changed the law to make it easier for them to get an assessment of their needs for support regardless of the level or type of care they provide.