Help for children with eating disorders

Minister for Health and Social Services Mark Drakeford has announced annual funding of £250,000 to improve specialist services for children and young people with complex eating disorders in South Wales.
This funding will ensure Health Boards are able to provide new specialist expertise to work with young people and their families, and also improve the training and skills of existing staff.

Mark Drakeford said: “We have a duty to protect and improve the emotional health and wellbeing of our children and young people.

“Where a child or young person has emotional problems, we know that if these are picked up and dealt with at the earliest opportunity, there is a much better chance of that person having a positive future.

“A key purpose of this new funding is to secure service re-design. Funding specialist services for the treatment of eating disorders will allow more children and young people to remain in Wales, saving on costly out of area placements. These savings, in turn, are to be reinserted in the new Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) service.

“Just as importantly it will ensure, whenever possible, that the young person can maintain contact with their family and friends while they undergo treatment.”