Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to support the parents of children with mental illness in order that they are still able to work.

The Government recognises the challenges of combining work and care. In June 2018 we published an action plan setting out a cross-Government programme of targeted work to support carers over the next two years. That includes action to support employers to improve working practices and to help carers to stay in work and return to work, as well as improving advice on financial support.

Employees already have the right to request flexible working, to take a reasonable amount of time off from work to deal with an emergency involving a child or dependant and to take unpaid parental leave. We are also considering creating a duty for employers to determine whether a job can be done flexibly, and make that clear when advertising.

Through the NHS Long Term Plan, we continue to prioritise mental health in the National Health Service and are investing in improving early intervention and access to services. We are also implementing new mental health services in schools and colleges as announced in the Green Paper on Children and Young People’s Mental Health.