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The government is to invest £142 million in improving children’s mental health services in England this year. This funding is part of a £1.25 billion package of increased spending on children and adolescents’ mental health services. This will be spread across many services; local services, Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Children and Young People Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT), in-patient services, online support, youth justice system, and many more.

The details of this investment are likely to include a guarantee that by 2020, 95% of patients will be seen within 4 weeks of being referred and more urgent cases within a week. It has been demonstrated that patients recover most quickly when they are treated early and closer to home.

Sarah Brennan, head of the charity Young Minds, said: "I'm not worried about how much they are spending this year as long as it's spent well and intelligently”. For example, some suggest using the money to organise the services, hire the right staff and give a good basis to make a real transformation starting next year. Worries are money will be spent quickly but not necessarily wisely. By prioritising the focus, this investment can minimise the number of young people needing in-patient care. 

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