Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the decision made to remove funding for Specialist Assessments for adopted children and children under special guardianship orders, and in the context of long waiting times experienced by constituents in Brighton Pavilion constituency for assessments through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), if she will publish details of how CAMHS will be supported to provide these specialised services.

Up to £2,500 of Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) funding may still be used for children to access a specialist assessment. ASGSF-funded assessments are not intended as an alternative to the specialised mental health services available through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

The current consultation ‘Adoption support that works for all’ includes proposals for a higher quality approach to assessing the needs of adoptive and eligible kinship families. This includes improved multi-disciplinary assessments and greater linkages between social care, health, and education practitioners to ensure every child gets the right support.

For 2026/27, NHS mental health spending will rise to £16.1 billion, a real terms increase of around £140 million, to support service improvements, including CAMHS. The mental health investment standard means spending must at least keep pace with inflation, supporting local systems to maintain and improve specialist services for children.