A CONFERENCE aimed at bridging the age gap in addressing young people's mental health problems will be held in the region this week.

Durham County Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee has carried out a detailed investigation into fears that people aged 16 to 25 with mental health problems were falling into an age gap where they did not fit into either a child or adult mental health setting.

Their study resulted in a 40-point action plan that calls for a new approach to the problem.

More than 100 delegates are to meet for a one-day conference at County Hall tomorrow to explore issues identified in the Minding the Gap report and discuss ways of taking its recommendations forward.

Councillor Edna Hunter, who chaired the working group that oversaw the investigation, said: "There is a growing awareness that young people with mental health problems do not always receive services relevant to their needs.

"This is most evident in the transitional age group - young people aged 16 to 25 who fall into the gap of services structured to meet the needs of either children or adults.

"Most social services treat young people up to 18 within the children's regime.

"Yet, as regards health services provision, many child and adolescent mental health services only provide services up to 16, when young people move into the adult regime.

"The recommendations in our report seek to bridge that gap."

The conference will see the launch of the Stressed Out website, which has been developed by Durham County Council in partnership with the Health Service, and using young people from Investing in Children.

The site aims to provide accessible and easy-to-use information about young people's mental health and a wide range of other related issues.