Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve the identification of speech, language and communication needs among children and young people who are in contact with specialist NHS children and young people’s mental health services.

On 20 December 2018, the first wave of 25 trailblazer sites were announced which will trial the plans set out in the Green Paper, ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision’, published in December 2017.

All trailblazer areas will build on support already in place and will work with other professionals such as speech and language therapists, including in support of delivering schools’ responsibilities for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The aim will be to improve identification of mental health needs, including through knowledge of the links between mental health and other needs children and young people have such as speech, language and communication needs, and to provide more comprehensive support for their full range of needs.

In addition, the NHS Long Term Plan sets out where extra National Health Service funding will be focused and how services will be designed.