To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of the number of children seeking access to mental health services.

It is widely recognised that CAMHS has faced significant pressures in recent years as a result of increased demand for services and resource constraints. These issues have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has continued to negatively impact young people’s health and wellbeing.

The Health and Social Care Board and HSC Trusts are working to manage the pressures on CAMHS and to put in place measures to increase capacity and improve performance, including formal reviews of waiting lists on a weekly basis, offering initial assessments via telephone, zoom, or face to face; and exploring greater involvement of the community and voluntary sector.

In 2021, an additional £500k was agreed to provide additional support to CAMHS to deal with growing pressures in relation to eating disorders. Further funding was made available to Trusts in-year, through slippage from other areas.

In addition, £1.7m per annum (£1.5m from DoH and £200k from DE) has been agreed for the next three years to establish CAMHS Emotional Health and Wellbeing Teams in schools.

In the longer term, the Mental Health Strategy 2021-2031 sets out an ambitious vision for the future delivery of mental health services, including children and young people’s provision. From a CAMHS perspective, the strategy includes a number of priority actions, including a commitment to increase the level of investment in CAMHS to 10% of the overall mental health budget.