Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on children's mental health of an expanded play therapy offer in the NHS.

Whilst no such specific assessment has been made of the impact on children’s mental health of an expanded play therapy offer in the National Health Service, we are committed to ensuring that children and young people can access the support they need for their mental health. As part of that, we are committed to understanding the best evidence around therapeutic support for children and young people, including play therapy.

It is the responsibility of NHS integrated care boards to commission health and care services suitable for children and young people in their local area.

Improving access to timely mental health support for children and young people is a priority for the Government. In the first 12 months of the Government, nearly 40,000 more children and young people received support than in the previous 12 months, supported by the recruitment of over 8,000 additional mental health workers since July 2024. We are accelerating rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029. We have also announced a £7 million top-up for 24 Early Support Hubs, enabling at least 10,000 additional mental health and wellbeing interventions and supporting evaluation of these services in 2026/27.