Children and Young People: Mental Health

Baroness D'Souza Excerpts

Wednesday 28th March 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

I recognise the right reverend Prelate’s point about the rising demand for services. We are trying to increase the proportion of children and young people who are helped from a quarter to a third, but obviously that leaves two-thirds who will not be helped. So there is a long way to go. We are unfortunately starting from a low base; we have to bring together many new staff and teams. I agree with the right reverend Prelate that speed is of the essence, but we must also be realistic about what we can achieve.

[Baroness D'Souza (CB)]

My Lords, are the Government carrying out research on the causes of the increase in mental health issues in both young children and teenagers?

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

The answer is yes, they are: the Green Paper has commissioned further research, and the amount of funding the National Institute for Health Research puts into this area has increased by 50% over the last seven years. However, we still do not understand the causes behind all mental illness, so this is an essential part of the strategy.