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More and more children in the county are being treated for mental health issues – but activists say it remains "a very long way to go" to help children in need.
A total of 15,080 children under 18 living in Lancashire had access to community-based mental health treatments funded by the NHS in 2018/2019 – new NHS figures reveal.
This equates to an average of 41 children per day.
This is a significant increase over recent years, when 12,950 children accessed services in 2017-2018.
The NHS has launched a five-year "vision of mental health" with the aim of increasing young people's access to mental health services in 2016/17.
Plans have been made to help 70,000 more children in England get access to appropriate mental health support by next year.
If successful, this would mean that about 35% of all children with a diagnosable mental health problem would receive treatment by 2020/20.
Activists say the target is very inadequate, two out of every three mentally ill children in England are still short of help.
A House of Commons report released last December stated, "Most young people with mental disorders are not getting the treatment they need and, according to current NHS plans, this will be true for years to come, while many face unacceptable treatment expectations. "
Sam Royston of the Children's Society said, "We know that the NHS has so far treated only about one-fifth of children with mental disorders.
"Due to recent investments, the NHS currently supports around 30% of young people. So you can say that some progress has been made, but it is clear that the road ahead is still very long.
"Our latest study found that hundreds of thousands of teenagers aged 10 to 17 are referred to specialized child mental health services each year, but three in five are refused because they do not meet treatment thresholds. high.
"These children are left on their own, without support, and are at risk of crisis. "We are also worried about children who are not looking for help at all.
"In addition to increased support in schools and the NHS, we want more open access mental health centers in local communities, where young people can come forward and receive immediate support without an appointment.
"It is important that young people are listened to and can find help easily and at an early stage so that their mental health problems can be resolved quickly and they do not have to suffer in silence. "
Today's numbers are for children who have had at least two direct or indirect contacts with mental health professionals.
Indirect contacts include things like phone calls.
A report from the Children's Mental Health Charity, Young Minds, found that the longer children have to wait a long time for help, the more their mental health may deteriorate.
About 85% of parents whose children waited more than six months before receiving treatment reported that their children's mental health had deteriorated, with 64% reporting that their children's mental health had deteriorated ".
Nationally, 377,866 children accessed mental health treatment in 2018-19 compared to 324,724 in 2017/18.
Claire Murdoch, NHS National Director of Mental Health, said: "This is a defining moment for the heroic staff who are treating a record number of children, which means that tens of thousands of additional young people have received treatment. last year, and shows that the NHS is ahead of its target. treat another 345,000 children and adolescents as part of our long-term plan.
"The NHS manages to reverse the trend in youth mental health and respond to unmet demand for years. While today's news is good for thousands of families, we know that there is still much to be done – in partnership with families, badociations, boards, schools and schools. government – to give every child the support they need. "
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