Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of family bereavement on the mental health and well-being of children and young people.

No assessment has been made of the impact of family bereavement on the mental health and well-being of children and young people. However, we are investing £54 million over the four year period 2011 – 2015 in the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) programme.

CYP IAPT interventions can help children and young people who have been impacted by family bereavement.

The CYP IAPT approved interventions include:

- Cognitive behavioural therapy for emotional disorders such as anxiety and depressive disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder;

- parenting training for conduct disorders (3-10 year olds);

- systemic Family Practice; and

- Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents.

On 25 March, we launched MindEd, an interactive e-learning programme on children and young people’s mental health that seeks to help any adult working with children and young people. The MindEd e-portal provides a ‘Loss and Grief’ module, aimed at helping children and young people who face loss, such as loss of a parent by death or divorce. MindEd is available at:

www.minded.org.uk