Commons Sense

House of Commons · Adjournment Debate

Children’s Mental Health Week

06 February 2020 · 2 other contributors

Opened by Preet Kaur Gill Lab Co-op Birmingham Edgbaston

Mental HealthChildren & Families

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Preet Kaur Gill raised concerns about children’s mental health week in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • Concerns raised about the mental health of children and young people in the UK reaching a critical stage, with over three-quarters of mental health problems emerging by the age of 20.
  • The Minister acknowledged the debate and highlighted that the Government has allocated 2.3 billion for mental health care, with more than half targeted towards children and young people.
  • Funding increases aim to launch trailblazer schemes in 50% of schools by 2024, aiming to support 345,000 additional children and young people.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Preet Kaur Gill Lab Co-op Birmingham Edgbaston

The mental health of thousands of children and young people has reached a critical stage, with over three-quarters of all mental health problems emerging by the age of 20. The Government's Green Paper in 2017 did not meet expectations for improvement across England. There is an urgent need to address shortages in mental health professionals, funding cuts affecting local authority services, and the rising incidence of mental health issues among children under various circumstances such as poverty, criminal justice involvement, or social media addiction. The current system does not offer sufficient early intervention or preventive measures, leading to a crisis situation where emergency services are increasingly required.

Other contributors (2)
  • Julian Lewis Con New Forest East

    Asked if the explosion in social media and its addiction among young people contributes to the terrible increases described by the hon. Member.

  • Jim Shannon Social Democratic & Labour Party Strangford

    Acknowledged the superb debate on a critical issue, highlighting that schools, churches, and voluntary sector youth organisations also play significant roles in supporting children's mental health.

Government Response

Nadine Dorries

The Minister acknowledged the debate on Children’s Mental Health Week, highlighting that one in eight five to 19-year-olds has a mental disorder and young women are more at risk of self-harm. The Government's commitment is evident with £2.3 billion allocated for mental health care, more than half of which will be targeted towards children and young people. Funding increases have led to improvements such as the launch of trailblazer schemes in 50% of schools by 2024, aiming to support 345,000 additional children and young people annually by 2023-24. The Minister also addressed concerns about workforce shortages and online harms, emphasising ongoing efforts to protect young people's mental health through legislative measures.

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