Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that help is available within the community for young people whilst they wait for NHS mental health services.

The Government announced in August 2019 that we are investing £3.3 million in 23 local community projects across England to help prevent mental illness in children and young people aged 25 and under.

The funding will enable more children and young people to access local services to support their mental health, with early intervention for those at risk of mental health problems. The projects have an emphasis on improving access to support outside of NHS services.