Greater Manchester Launches Mental Health Pilot for Young People 2026

Key Points

• This mental health pilot will involve up to 7,000 children and young people who are supported through social care in Stockport, Tameside and Rochdale and also includes support for their parents, carers and guardians.
• £9.4 million up to three years has been pledged by the Government to this pilot project, with NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board spearheading the project alongside the three councils.
• NHS mental health professionals will deliver their services in children’s social care environments, with interventions such as family therapy and support for parents and primary carers provided.
• This pilot is planned to begin in early 2027 and run until 2029. Evaluation will take place during the delivery of the program, with an aim to assess if it can be expanded to other regions.
• Eligible groups of children are children in need, children at risk, children in care, care leavers, and adopted children.

Manchester (Manchester Mirror) October 27, 2026 — What will the new Care Together mental health pilot mean for children supported by social care? A Government-backed programme, supported by up to £9.4 million over three years, will bring NHS mental health professionals into children’s social care settings across Stockport, Tameside and Rochdale, covering up to 7,000 children and young people, alongside their families and carers.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced the programme on 23 October. NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board will run the pilot with the three participating local authorities, with services expected to begin in early 2027 and continue until 2029.

The central aim is to make support easier to access by bringing mental health and social care professionals together. Rather than requiring families to navigate separate services, the programme will test a more integrated approach to identifying needs and providing specialist help.

As reported by Izzy Lepone of Healthcare Management on 26 October, Care Together will include needs-led mental health support, such as family therapy and assistance for parents and caregivers. The programme will also be assessed during its operation to establish whether it could be expanded to other areas.

Who will the Greater Manchester mental health pilot support?

According to the Department of Health and Social Care, the potential reach of up to 7,000 children and young people is based on figures covering relevant social care groups across Stockport, Tameside and Rochdale. These include children in need, children on protection plans, children in care, care leavers and adopted children.

Parents, carers and guardians are also included in the programme’s intended support. This means the pilot is not confined to individual treatment for children: its stated approach also recognises the needs of the adults responsible for their care.

The geographical scope is important. Although NHS Greater Manchester will lead the programme, the announced pilot covers three boroughs rather than every local authority area in Greater Manchester.

The figure of up to 7,000 describes the population expected to be covered. It should not be read as a confirmed number of completed treatments or an indication that every child will receive the same intervention. The Government describes the model as needs-led, with support tailored to individual circumstances.

How will Care Together bring mental health and social care together?

Care Together will embed mental health professionals from existing NHS services into children’s social care settings. The Government says this will allow professionals to work together more closely and reduce the need for families to seek help through multiple services.

The proposed support includes family therapy and help for parents and primary caregivers. Its broader purpose is to replace fragmented provision with faster access to specialist assistance based on the needs of children and their families.

As reported by Izzy Lepone of Healthcare Management, the model follows Professor Fonagy’s independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, which recommended better integration of mental health support.

The announcement establishes the programme’s funding ceiling, participating areas and intended model. It does not set out a specific waiting-time guarantee, a detailed staffing allocation for each borough or a public application process. Families should therefore distinguish the planned service changes from operational arrangements that have not been specified in the announcement.

What has Dame Diana Johnson said about access to support?

In the Government announcement, Dame Diana Johnson, Minister of State for Public Health and Patient Safety, identified fragmented services as a reason families and young people struggle to find assistance.

Johnson said: “For too long, fragmented mental health services have left young people in care, care leavers, parents, carers, and guardians not knowing where to turn for support.”

She said the Government wanted to change how young people are supported, with the pilot intended to provide specialist mental health assistance more quickly and according to personal need, before difficulties reach crisis point. These are the programme’s stated objectives rather than outcomes already demonstrated by the pilot.

Healthcare Management’s Izzy Lepone also reported Johnson’s comments, linking the announcement to the planned integration of NHS mental health professionals within social care settings.

What has Josh MacAlister said about children and care leavers?

Children’s Minister Josh MacAlister said children supported by social care can face severe mental health challenges associated with trauma and adversity. In the Department of Health and Social Care announcement, he said:

“Every child deserves people in their corner.”

MacAlister placed the pilot alongside wider support for young people leaving care, including the national rollout of the Staying Close programme and corporate parenting duties for public bodies.

He also referred to £2.4 billion of investment in early, targeted intervention and children’s social care reform. He said the purpose was to help families receive assistance, remain together wherever possible and support vulnerable young people into adult life with enduring relationships. That wider funding is separate from the pilot’s allocation of up to £9.4 million.

What does NHS Greater Manchester say the programme will change?

Professor Manisha Kumar, Chief Clinical Officer at NHS Greater Manchester, said the organisation’s wider work on children and young people’s mental health was focused on earlier support, better access, stronger integration and improved outcomes. She welcomed the selection of Greater Manchester to pilot Care Together.

According to the Government announcement, Kumar said NHS Greater Manchester would work with partners in Rochdale, Stockport and Tameside over the next three years to support children and families known to children’s social care.

Kumar said children known to social care had often experienced adversity and that mental health outcomes could be affected by several issues. She described an approach combining earlier intervention, trauma-informed care and holistic support.

As reported by Izzy Lepone of Healthcare Management, Kumar said:

“Bringing mental health professionals into social care teams will help us provide better support and learn what works for families here, and to help shape national changes.”

Her comments identify two purposes for the pilot: providing support locally and gathering evidence that could inform services beyond the participating boroughs.

When will the pilot start, and could it expand?

The planned launch is early 2027, with the programme continuing until 2029. The Government says an evaluation will take place during the pilot to assess the potential for expansion to other areas.

A wider rollout has not been confirmed. The evaluation is intended to establish whether the approach has potential elsewhere, rather than to implement an already agreed national programme.

This also means that the announcement should not be treated as evidence of improvements already achieved. Faster access, more coordinated support and earlier intervention remain intended benefits that the programme will need to test.

What is the background to the Care Together development?

The immediate policy background is Professor Fonagy’s independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism. The Department of Health and Social Care says its recommendation for better-integrated mental health support helped inform the pilot.

The Government also placed Care Together within wider children’s social care reforms. Its announcement cited £2.4 billion through the Families First Partnership Programme and a commitment to create 10,000 new foster places during the current Parliament.

It said the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act had been passed to change how public agencies safeguard children, cooperate and share information. The announcement also described expanded Staying Close support up to age 25, covering assistance with employment, housing, education and health.

A separate £500 million expansion of children’s homes was cited alongside measures addressing excessive profits and illegal, unregistered homes. These are wider Government commitments, not additional elements of Care Together’s £9.4 million budget.

What could the pilot mean for children, families and carers?

For eligible families in Stockport, Tameside and Rochdale, the intended change is a more direct connection between social care and specialist mental health support. If the model works as planned, bringing professionals together could reduce the need to navigate separate services and help families receive assistance earlier.

Parents and carers could also benefit from being included in the support model, particularly where family therapy or caregiver assistance is appropriate. However, the announcement does not guarantee a particular intervention or waiting time for every household.

For children and young people, the practical effect will depend on how the programme is implemented and what its evaluation finds. For families outside the three participating boroughs, any future benefit depends on a later decision about expansion; no wider rollout has yet been announced.