Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on enabling directors of children's services to commission CAMHS services in partnership with mental health trusts.

The departments are working closely together to ensure every child has the best start in life and to improve access to local mental health support for all children.

This includes:

• A 3-year mental health support pilot to ensure children in care have access to the support they need sooner, building on existing work to bring together social workers and health professionals to provide direct mental health support to children and families when they need it most.
• To help all pupils to achieve and thrive in education, the government will also provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.
• By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.