COLCHESTER’S MP says it is vital to keep supporting the mental health of young people after a £10 million funding boost.

The Government has confirmed it will allocate £3 million towards training senior mental health leads in schools.

A further £7 million has been allocated for schools for mental health training for the 2022/23 academic year, bringing the total funding for mental health up to £10 million.

So far, the Government said more than 8,000 schools had claimed a £1,200 grant to train a senior mental health lead between October 2021 and March 2022.

Colchester MP and Children and Families minister Will Quince said: “It is vital we continue to support the wellbeing and mental health of young people alongside their academic recovery, and senior mental health leads will play an important role in doing this.

“I am continuing to work across Government to ensure we meet the commitments set out in our mental health green paper.

“This includes rolling out mental health support teams so that millions of children across England can access the support they need.”

Schools that have already used the training have reported that they “feel much better prepared and empowered to support students”, he added.