Parents Worry About Their Child's Mental Health More Than Anything - But NHS Spending On It Has Been Cut

If you ask a parent about their biggest health worry for their child, you probably wouldn’t expect it to be their little one’s emotional wellbeing.

You may’ve thought they’d say they stress about their child getting physically seriously ill – not their tot's mental health state.

But new stats have made it clear that it’s a big issue and one that needs more attention. But it isn't getting it at the moment.

In a survey conducted by Action for Children, 40 per cent of 2,267 parents admitted their children’s emotional wellbeing was their top concern – a figure that increased by seven per cent when polling mums alone.

Researchers from the charity made their discovery by looking out data collected by YouGov last year.

The market research firm carried out interviews with just over 9,000 adults – a number that included 2,267 parents with children under the age of 18.

Dads were shown to worry about their child’s mental and emotional wellbeing less, with 32 per cent admitting it to be a concern.

The results have prompted Action for Children to ask for more support for families. “Spending time and money preventing a problem rather than repairing the damage is the right and logical thing to do,” says Sir Tony Hawkhead, chief executive of the charity.

“With councils facing reduced funds, we are calling for a shift in funding towards early support to help prevent concerns or issues from becoming major problems"

Lack Of Spending On Children's Mental Health Services
Despite a need for more financial support in this area, NHS England has revealed that spending on children's mental health services in England has decreased by over six per cent since 2010.

The figures were asked for by the Labour party during a parliamentary answer, who accused the government of going back on it's promise to make mental health a priority, the BBC reports.

But the government has promised to do something about this issue and they plan to invest in eating disorders and self-harm, in addition to spending £7 million on more psychiatric beds.

Other Parenting Worries
In the survey, around 30 per cent of parents said their children’s diet and weight worried them and 21 per cent worried about illnesses such as cancer.

Other health issues that concern parents include life-long conditions asthma and diabetes (20 per cent) and allergies and food intolerances (10 per cent).

Children’s Mental Health An Ongoing Concern
This isn’t the first time that concerns over the mental health state of children have been raised.

A recent study showed that over half of schools in England aren’t able to offer mental health support for pupils who need it.

In a poll conducted by the CentreForum Mental Health Commission, 54 per cent of head teachers admitted that local mental health services were useless. The findings also revealed that 47 per cent of teachers said a heavy workload left them unable to notice when their students were struggling with mental health difficulties.

“The gaps and concerns this report so clearly identifies reinforce the need to provide young people with the help, support and self-empowerment to develop and maintain resilience to stay mentally healthy in order to achieve their full potential,” says Professor Dame Sue Bailey, chairwoman of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Colition.

Since the study's results were released, David Cameron has promised to “look carefully” at the recommendations to do with raising awareness of mental health issues.

If you need any help or advice to do with your child's emotional wellbeing, head to Action for Children's website.

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Do you worry about your child’s emotional wellbeing more than anything else? Let us know in the comments.