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Mental Health Services: Children

Asked by Jenny Riddell-CarpenterLabourDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 13 January 2026UIN 103562

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what specialist mental health support is available to children experiencing parental alienation.

Answered by Dr Zubir Ahmed

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country and deliver timely, efficient care for children and young people, including children affected by parental alienation.

As prioritised in our Medium-Term Planning Framework, we are taking action to reduce the longest waits for specialist mental health support, tackling regional disparities, and expanding access, thereby making services more productive so children and young people spend less time waiting for the treatment they need.

We are also accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029. As part of this, we are investing an additional £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff so that they can offer more effective support to young people with complex needs, such as trauma, neurodivergence, and disordered eating.

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