Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to young people who are transitioning from child and adolescent mental health services to adult mental health services?

Some young people need ongoing support into young adulthood, after they leave children and young people’s mental health services. This point of transition is an important stage for young people, and it is not always easy.

That is why, in January 2015, NHS England published a Model Specification for Transitions from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, to support better transition planning and delivery by local providers. Transition from children and young people’s mental health services has also been included as one of 13 mandatory national indicators in the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme (2017/19), which offers financial incentives to local areas to encourage improved transition planning for children and young people.

To address issues of transition, some areas have already adopted a mental health service which supports young people from ages 0-25. Phase two of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) thematic review of children’s and young people’s mental health services will help to identify examples of good practice and the enablers and barriers to high-quality care. This may include insights into how effectively mental health services meet the needs of young people moving on from children’s health and care services.

Next year, we will draw on the findings of the CQC thematic review, and data from the CQUIN initiatives, to assess whether further action is required to improve the experience and outcomes of transition.