Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to include school and community-based early intervention provision for children and young people including play and creative arts therapy and counselling in forthcoming reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983, in addition to the autism, closed ward and clinical measures detailed in the White Paper on Reforming the Mental Health Act.

The reforms to the Mental Health Act 1983 follow the recommendations made by the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act chaired by Sir Simon Wessely. However, school and community-based early intervention provision for children and young people fall outside the scope of these reforms. The provision of these services is a matter for local commissioners.

We are improving early intervention provision for children and young people through the introduction of mental health support teams in schools and colleges. In 2022/23, 25% of the country will have access to mental health support teams, which will increase to 399 teams covering an estimated three million children and young people or approximately 35% of pupils by 2023/24.