Closed petition Review and reform Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

The Health and Social Care Committee, a cross party group of MPs, has looked into the progress the Government has made on the provision of children and mental health services. Their report considers what progress has been made in the four years since the Government published its green paper on transforming children and young people's mental health provision. The report makes a number of recommendations to the Government, including:

• All children and young people under the age of 25 should receive mental health support as early as possible and should never be turned away from mental health services due to not being ill enough.

• NHS England & Improvement must accelerate the implementation of the offer for the 0-25 year olds so that young people do not continue to face a cliff edge in accessing the care they require as they transition from children to adult services.

Read a summary of the report, including the Committee’s main recommendations to the Government: https://ukparliament.shorthandstories.com/children-young-people-mental-health/index.html

The Health and Social Care Committee’s report, “Children and young people’s mental health”, was published on 9 December 2021. The report assessed the current scale of the problem and looked at access to mental health services, mental health support in schools, importance of alternative ways of support such as community-based support and on line-support), inpatient care and the use of restrictive practices and self-harm and suicide prevention.

Find out more about the inquiry, including the written and oral submissions received: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1001/children-and-young-peoples-mental-health/

What is the Health and Social Care Committee?

The Health and Social Care Committee scrutinises the work of the Department of Health and Social Care and its associated public bodies. They examine government policy, spending and administration on behalf of the public and the House of Commons.

Find out more: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/81/health-and-social-care-committee/

A group of MPs and members of the House of Lords has published a report looking at the Government's draft Mental Health Bill. They have called for changes to the draft Bill to address rising numbers of people detained under the Mental Health Act and to tackle racial inequalities.

• Read the Committee's report on the draft Mental Health Bill
• Read the report summary
• Read a news story about the report

Specific changes the report calls for include:

• The creation of a new statutory Mental Health Commissioner to monitor mental health reforms
• Including respect for racial equality in the Bill
• Improving how data on detentions under the Mental Health Act is collected and monitored
• Abolishing Community Treatment Orders for civil patients
• Strengthening duties regarding community services for people with learning disabilities and autistic people
• Giving patients who are or have been detained the right to request an advance choice document is drawn up

The report was produced by the Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill, a cross-party group of MPs and members from the House of Lords that was appointed to consider the Government's draft Bill to reform the Mental Health Act 1983

• Find out more about the committee on their website

What is a draft Bill?

A draft Bill is published to enable 'pre-legislative scrutiny', which is the detailed examination of an early draft of legislation. This is done by a parliamentary select committee before the final Bill is drawn up by the Government.

• Find out more about draft Bills

What happens next?

With the publication of its report the Joint Committee’s work is finished.

The Government now must respond to the committee's report, and draw up a final version of the Mental Health Bill. It is up to the Government when to publish a final version of this Bill, and introduce it in Parliament.

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On 7 June MPs debated mental health treatment and support. This was an opposition day debate on a motion determined by the Labour party.

• Watch the debate
• Read a transcript of the debate

During the debate MPs discussed funding and staffing of mental health services, and access to these services.

What are Opposition Days?

Opposition days are days allocated in the House of Commons for the discussion of subjects chosen by the opposition (non-government) parties.

Read a research briefing by the House of Commons Library to find out more about Opposition Day debates.

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On Tuesday 30 January, MPs took part in a Westminster Hall debate on Children's Mental Health week 2024. During the debate MPs discussed how mental health support for young people could be improved.

• Watch the debate
• Read a transcript of the debate

The debate was led by Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Maria Caulfield MP, responded to the debate on behalf of the Government.

What is a Westminster Hall debate?

Westminster Hall is the second chamber of the House of Commons. Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local and national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Westminster Hall debates are general debates that do not end in a vote.

• Find out more about Westminster Hall debates

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