MP calls for a mental health worker to be allocated to every school during Parliamentary debate

South Lakes MP Tim Farron called for a mental health worker to be allocated to every school in Cumbria to help tackle issues from an early age.

During the debate in Parliament, Tim said that currently 10% of schoolchildren have a diagnosable mental illness.

Tim's call comes on the same day that he is due to present a petition to Parliament calling for more funding for preventative mental health care.

Speaking during the debate, Tim said: "Like the rest of us here, I deal with a postbag of many issues of great emotional significance which have a heavy weight on all of us as constituency MPs as we seek to help people in difficult situations.

"But nothing keeps me awake at night like the plight of young people with mental health conditions, and I have noticed in recent years that as a volume of my caseload it has rocketed.

"We are clearly a society that breeds poor mental health.

"I am proud of the young people in Cumbria with whom I have worked, who are determined to fight for better mental health provisions for themselves and for their friends.

"Alongside providing timely and top-quality treatment, we do need to focus on preventative care.

"That is why two and a half thousand people, mostly young people, in my constituency signed the petition that I will be presenting to this House soon, calling for a mental health worker to be allocated to every single school in Cumbria so we can manage to prevent these problems before they get out of control."