A LEADING Thurrock councillor is championing children's mental health, saying that under the current lockdown and Covid-19 pandemic it's more important than ever to think about the significance of wellbeing and how the children can be supported.

Cabinet Member for Children's Social Care Cllr James Halden, said: "Right now taking care of children's mental health has never been more relevant. The extra stress children are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic and the periods of remote learning which have been necessary can have a real impact on their mental well-being.

"We take this issue extremely seriously and that is why Thurrock Council has provided £500,000 funding for young people's mental health services through the School Wellbeing Service, an innovative partnership between the council, Thurrock Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), schools and academies, which has changed the way emotional well-being and mental health support is provided for children and young people in Thurrock.

"There are also a number of fantastic local services which are here to help parents and the national Children's Mental Health Week campaign has some excellent resources for parents and children."

Help, advice and information about the services available for young people can be found on Thurrock Council's website.