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Youth Mental Health Support
03 June 2026
Lead MP
Anna Dixon
Responding Minister
Preet Kaur Gill
Tags
NHSForeign AffairsScience & TechnologyMental HealthChildren & Families
Word Count: 4708
Other Contributors: 8
At a Glance
Anna Dixon raised concerns about youth mental health support in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The Government must address the NHS waiting list for CAMHS, which stands at more than 550,000 children and young people, with over half having waited longer than a year. The Minister should also prioritise funding and workforce planning to tackle waiting times in mental health services.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
The number of children and young people presenting to primary care for mental health issues has risen from just over 2% in the early 2000s to around 8% by 2023, with referrals to CAMHS trebling since 2016. The Children's Society estimates that five out of thirty children in a class have a mental health problem, and nearly one million young people are not in education, employment or training due to long-term sickness caused primarily by mental health conditions.
Asked if the hon. Lady agrees that more youth clubs are needed in rural communities, highlighting his own experience with disability and attempting suicide.
Afzal Khan
Lab
Manchester, Gorton
Highlighted the success of the BeeWell programme in Greater Manchester and advocated for investment in data-informed approaches to mental health prevention.
Expressed concern about social media's impact on youth mental health, citing warnings from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.
Noted that nearly 40% of CAMHS referrals were rejected in Scotland, calling on the Scottish Government to address this issue effectively.
Raised awareness of PANS and PANDAS conditions, urging for recognition and diagnosis to prevent poor mental health outcomes in children.
Discussed a new youth hub in Amber Valley which will provide work opportunities and mental health services, arguing for a holistic approach to support young people's future.
Tom Watson
Lab
West Dunbartonshire
Welcomed the lead MP's points, particularly on youth hubs and the need for a comprehensive approach.
Suggested the importance of sports provision and mentorship in tackling youth mental health issues and thanked a local charity for its efforts.
Government Response
Preet Kaur Gill
Government Response
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) for securing this important debate. This is an issue I care deeply about, and I thank her for sharing such a personal story about her niece and the lost years that she faced. I also thank hon. Members for their contributions, including the hon. Member for Yeovil (Adam Dance), who shared how his youth club saved him at a time of very clear mental health distress, my hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Linsey Farnsworth), who talked about celebrating youth hubs in her area, my hon. Friend the Member for Swindon North (Will Stone), who talked about the powerful example of sports provision to support mental health, my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow South (Gordon McKee), who talked about the issues with CAMHS in Scotland, my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth Moor View (Fred Thomas), who talked about his concerns about the impact of social media, and my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher), who talked about PANS/PANDAS. The message I want to give today is clear: the country is right to expect a children and young people's mental health system that is simple, faster and stronger at every stage, from early support in the community through to specialist CAMHS support where needs are most severe. We have to be honest about the pressure on that system, which includes long waits and uneven access, but equally clear in our determination, as my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley said, to improve it and build a system that delivers for every child and young person. To improve services, we have to be honest about how families experience them; needs may first be identified at school, then raised with a GP and addressed through community services, but too many are still waiting or presenting in crisis. Support should become more intensive as need grows, but families too often do not experience a clear pathway and instead describe a search for help that is confusing, fragmented and exhausting. The pressures are visible nationally and matter locally too, including in Shipley; nearly 40,000 children and young people had already been waiting more than 1,000 days for a first contact by the end of March 2026. We will strengthen the whole pathway, not just one part of it. First, we are expanding earlier intervention with £20 million in funding to deliver over 30,000 additional mental health interventions for children and young people; secondly, improving consistency in navigation through a modern service framework setting clear expectations about what services should provide and how they should work together across the pathway; thirdly, increasing capacity in specialist services with an additional 8,500 mental health workers recruited three years ahead of schedule; fourthly, acting on drivers of crisis by tackling root causes including online safety, expanding perinatal support, and addressing inequalities and child poverty. We are developing a new cross-Government mental health strategy for England and an independent review into ADHD and autism to inform the longer-term changes needed for a more coherent and effective offer.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.