Children and Young People with Complex Needs

Opened the debate

The MP raised concerns about the insufficient supply of specialist care for children and young people who are unable to live safely at home due to trauma, self-harm, or criminal exploitation. He highlighted challenges in securing placements in secure units and psychiatric hospitals, noting that Hertfordshire's applications to the national secure bed bank often face long waiting times with many referrals not being matched due to a shortage of beds. The MP emphasised the detrimental impact on young people's well-being and the public purse, citing costs ranging from £4,500 to £30,000 per week for bespoke care. He called for regulators to work with the care sector to reopen closed beds through a specialist taskforce and suggested a national campaign to challenge stereotypes about children in care and recruit residential childcare officers. The MP also proposed a programme of support to design homes accommodating complex needs and advocated for expediting the Ofsted registration process, urging better joined-up care between NHS and local authorities.

Government Response

The Minister acknowledged the importance of care for children and young people with complex needs. She highlighted government initiatives such as £300 million for family and early years support, including £100 million to roll out bespoke parent-infant mental health support, £50 million for evidence-based parenting programmes, and £82 million to create a network of family hubs. The Minister also mentioned the supporting families programme with an increase in funding from 70,000 to over 100,000 families supported by 2024-25. She detailed additional measures for school-age children's mental health support and learning disabilities/autism through a £74 million national autism strategy. The Minister also discussed ongoing efforts in the secure estate with an investment of £259 million to maintain capacity and expand provision, aiming to provide high-quality safe homes for vulnerable children. She emphasised measures to ensure trauma-informed care and formulation-driven approaches within the secure estate framework. Additionally, she noted further investments in NHS mental health services by 2023-24 and an additional £79 million of funding to improve access and reduce waiting times for community mental health support.