P-05-879 Add Mental Health Education to the mandatory teaching curriculum for all schools in Wales
P-05-879 Add Mental Health Education to the mandatory teaching curriculum for all schools in Wales
P-05-879 – Add
Mental Health Education to the mandatory teaching curriculum for all schools in
Wales
This
petition was submitted by Annie Harris having collected a total of 1,947
signatures.
Text of Petition
When working for Mental -
The Podcast to Destigmatise Mental Health, I am continually concerned by the
lack of education in schools around mental health. With 1 in 4 of us experiencing
mental illness every year according to the charity Mind, this seems to be a
real and significant gap in our education system.
KEY STATISTICS:
Over half of all mental
ill health starts before the age of 14, and 75% of this has developed by the
age of 18;
A 2015 survey found that
13% of adults (16 & older) living in Wales were reported to have received
treatment for a mental health problem, an increase from 12% reported in 2014;
The overall cost of mental
health problems in Wales is an estimated £7.2 billion a year.
The statistics are
shocking, yet whilst there is a whole subject in the Welsh curriculum about our
physical health in the form of PE, our young people are left without knowledge
of even the most common mental illnesses.
Not only does this leave
them unprepared & vulnerable when it comes to looking out for their own
mental health, but also sets the standard that Mental Health is not discussed.
This plants a seed of stigma that many carry for their whole lives.
We are keen to hear back
from those in power on a more extensive plan to better the lives of Wales's
young people.
CAMPAIGNING FOR:
Mental Health education
becoming mandatory teaching for all schools in Wales without the addition of
any exams/homework on this subject.
Every child in Wales
having the ability to access a qualified counsellor through their school.
Every school in Wales
offering Mental Health training for its staff.
Please join our petition
to help bring us one step closer to making these requests a reality for Welsh children,
thus safeguarding the health of generations to come.
Thank you for reading,
Annie Harris
Learn more about this
petition & the team behind it at mentalpodcast.co.uk/petition
Additional
Information
1. Source: Murphy M and
Fonagy P (2012). Mental health problems in children and young people. In:
Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2012. London: Department of
Health.
2. and 3. Source: Mental
Health Foundation. Mental Health in Wales, Fundamental Facts 2016
(https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/files/FF16%20Wales.pdf)
Please see
https://www.change.org/p/get-mental-health-education-on-the-school-curriculum-mentalpetition-join-me-and-over-100-000-others
for the national interest in this petition. We handed in the petition to 10
Downing Street on 3rd October 2018.
Status
This petition was considered completed by the
Petitions Committee at its meeting on 25/02/2020.
The Committee agreed to close the petition in light
of the scrutiny which has been given to these issues through the Children,
Young People and Education Committee’s Mind over Matter inquiry, the increased
priority given to mental health in the new curriculum, and the lack of a recent
response from the petitioner. The Committee wished to thank the petitioners for
their engagement and wish them well for the future.
Full details of the consideration of this petitions
by the committee and related documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above.
It was first considered by the Petitions Committee
on 21/05/2019.
Assembly Constituency and
Region
- Monmouth
- South Wales East
Further information
Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: Complete
First published: 14/05/2019