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 (a) level of demand during the covid-19 restrictions and (b) potential level of demand as those restrictions are lifted for children and young people’s mental health services; and what steps he is taking to ensure that that service provision is able to meet demand.

Supporting children and young people's mental health during and after the pandemic is a priority. Mental health providers are offering support using digital and remote approaches to continue assessment and treatment during social distancing measures. This is part of the wider support across the whole system supporting children and young people including education settings, local authorities, the voluntary care sector and other services working in partnership to support children and young people’s mental health.

We are working with the National Health Service and Public Health England, service users, academics and the voluntary sector to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term mental health impacts of COVID-19 and plan for how to support the public’s mental health and wellbeing throughout the ‘recovery’ phase.