EDM 1647: Access to mental health support for children and young people

That this House is deeply concerned that nearly one million people are currently waiting for mental health services across the UK; notes with particular concern the impact on children and young people, including the 300 currently on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) caseload in West Dorset; further notes that CAMHS in that area is centralised in Dorchester, requiring families in Lyme Regis or Beaminster to make a 30-mile round trip, often without access to reliable public transport; is alarmed that a single care coordinator may be responsible for as many as 35 young people, and that there is no local access to trauma-informed support such as EMDR or art therapy; believes that no child should be left waiting over a year for vital mental health treatment; and urges the Government to address regional and rural disparities in service provision, increase funding for specialist staff and therapeutic interventions, and ensure that every child and young person has timely and local access to the mental health support they need.