Giving Compass' Take:

• Carin Eisenstein explains that action is necessary to tackle mental health issues in the UK and how philanthropists can play a role in supporting solutions to these problems. 

• How should philanthropists approach this issue from a systems change perspective? What role can you play in improving mental health care?

• Read about the mental health curriculum that England is building for its schools.

Mental ill health is now recognised as widespread, particularly when it comes to children and young people. Headline after headline speaks to a significant and growing rise in children and young people reporting mental health problems.

The credit for greater awareness can’t be awarded to any one group, but civil society organisations have played a big role. As well as dedicated mental health charities, organisations like the Royal Foundation have campaigned on the issue for years, including last year’s successful Heads Together campaign.

The work to improve knowledge and understanding of mental health has been critical. But we need more than general awareness. We also need insight and action: we must recognize where the system is not up to par and take meaningful steps to address it.

For a system overstretched and reeling from budget cuts, staff shortages, and ever-expanding waitlists, the need to act is urgent and private funding will have an important role to play.

Previous injections of funding to mental health mostly haven’t made it to the frontlines. This is partly because of structural barriers, such as mental health funding not being ring-fenced—making it more vulnerable to cuts or being diverted to other priorities—or fragmented commissioning, which prevents funds from being allocated efficiently.

Private funding—particularly multi-year unrestricted grants—can allow charities to pursue longer-term objectives, or simply to deliver core services that wouldn’t otherwise be funded. This is vital to a stronger, more resilient, and impactful mental health sector.

Read the full article about funding mental health solutions by Carin Eisenstein at NPC.