Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for the increase in child mental health referrals.

While no formal assessment has been made, access to children and young people’s mental health services is monitored through periodic population surveys and the National Health Service Mental Health Dashboard. This records data on the number of children and young people under 18 years old accessing support from NHS-funded community services.

‘Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2020: Wave 1 follow up to the 2017 survey’ published by NHS Digital in October 2020, found that approximately 16% of children aged between five and 16 years had a probable mental health disorder in 2020, compared to 10.8% in 2017. This may be partially attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic.