Mental health services for young people in England are "stuck in the dark ages" and "not fit for purpose", according to a government minister. Norman Lamb told BBC News he was determined to modernise the provision of psychiatric help for children. The care and support minister is launching a task force to look into how to improve services.
One task force member said that "ultimately, money will have to be spent". The problems in children’s mental health services have been catalogued in a series of investigations by BBC News and the online journal Community Care.
There has been an increase in the number of young people being treated in adult wards and travelling huge distances to receive help
A recent survey carried out by the charity Young Minds showed that councils were cutting services
A report from NHS England last month acknowledged it had no idea about the extent to which mental health problems affect young people. They are however to open an extra 50 beds for inpatient care