A major review into Cheshire East's mental health support for under-25s has been approved by cabinet members.

In a mammoth report by the council's children and families scrutiny committee, 24 recommendations were put forward to the council's leadership, with all of them being approved.

At this week's cabinet meeting, Cllr Jos Saunders said: "We have been made aware, anecdotally mostly, that many of our children and young people are facing severe mental health challenges.

"On the basis of that, we did a spotlight review back in February. Since then, the world has changed those challenges have become even more acute — so the recommendations in this report, in my opinion, have become even more pertinent and even more relevant.

"There are many recommendations, I think the ones which are most telling for me are about the inequality of access to service and that is the most basic thing we can do — give equality across the borough in terms of receiving help."

Recommendations include a commitment to "endeavour to create a clearer pathway and screening tool for assessing the needs of children and young people presenting with mental health issues", and "that the Leader of the council write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Minister for Education, to request further investment to improve the access to therapeutic support services for children and young people in Cheshire East".

Whilst the review has been set in motion, it is likely to continue into 2021, with further updates for the relevant scrutiny committee being delivered in January.

You can find out more about Cheshire East's mental health offering on their website.

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