§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Office for National Statistics will publish its report on children's mental health services. [86467]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from L. Cook to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated 10 December 2002:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the Office for National Statsistics (ONS) report on children's mental health services. (86467)In March 2000 ONS produced a report which presented the findings of a survey of the mental health of children and adolescents, aged 5–15, in Great Britain (Meltzer et al, 2000). The survey was carried out between January and May 1999. It was commissioned by the Department of Health, the Scottish Health Executive and the National Assembly for Wales.The first part of the report focused on the prevalence rates of mental disorders among young people. The second part showed the way in which children and adolescents with particular disorders vary from those without any disorder on a range of factors including their background, personal and familial characteristics, physical health, use of services and social functioning.In this context, children's mental health services included health, social, educational and voluntary care services which provided treatment and advice given to young people with mental health problems. In the ONS report, the data presented on the use of services come from parents' reports of who they went to seek help from if they thought their child had a significant mental health problem.Six months previously, in September 1999, the Audit Commission produced a report of their two-year national audit of the specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provided by health authorities and trusts. (Audit Commission, 1999).References.Meltzer H, Gatward R, Goodman R & Ford T (2000) Mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain, London: The Stationery OfficeAudit Commission (1999) National Report—Children in mind: child and adolescent mental health services