INCREASED funding for children’s mental health services will improve future funding for the NHS, says a counsellor.

Maria Burchell, project co-ordinator at Swindon Mind Self Harm Counselling Service (formerly Preservation Around Self Harm or PASH), currently works with 50 service users aged between 16 and late 50s.

She spoke out as the Mental Health Network, which represents NHS mental health trusts, claimed significant amounts of allocated funding have not been invested into children’s mental health services.

“There needs to be more of a focus around children’s services. That is something that’s an issue across the country,” Maria said.

Maria believes that if more funding is invested in services that help children with mental health conditions earlier on, this will have a knock-on effect for funding in the future.

“With the work that we do, even though our youngest service users are 16 we can see that if more emphasis and funding is given in identifying and providing support to mental illness, which can take many different forms, at an early age, it means that less pressure is placed on mental health services in the future," Maria said.

The Self Harm Counselling Service, based in Sanford Street provides one-on-one counselling sessions and a confidence building programme.

Self-harm is believed to be an expression of personal distress rather than an illness but can be linked to mental health conditions, such as depression.

They provide 10 weeks of counselling, consisting of one weekly 45 minute session with a counsellor.

Mental health services for children and young people across the town are currently provided by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.

They run the Children & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) based in Marlborough House, Okus Road which provides specialist care

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said a variety of services for children with mental health conditions were available across the town, delivered by partners including Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group

“Support for young people with emotional and psychological problems or disorders locally is delivered through a network of integrated services by partners including Swindon CCG, Swindon Borough Council and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust,” he said.

“Each young person who is referred is individually assessed to help determine what services they may require.

Care is delivered by partners via four CaMHS tiers, tier one represents universal services provided through primary care, such as GPs and through schools. Swindon Borough Council uses its Targeted Mental Health Service including counselling services or educational psychologists for tier two.

Tier three specialist care including outreach and eating disorder services is commissioned by Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group and the council. The most highly specialised service for some inpatients and outpatients is commissioned by NHS England Specialist Commissioning and provided by specialist services.

The Department of Health said that an additional £250m would be invested in children's mental health services in the next financial year.