Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 33
Eighth Report - Children and young people’s mental health
Published 9 Dec 2021
Paragraph 150
Addressed to Department of Health and Social Care
Health and Social Care Committee Children and young people's mental health All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
In addition to our recommendations on the use of restraint that we set out in our report on the treatment of autistic people and people with learning disabilities, the use of prone restraint on children and young people should be banned in all inpatient settings and in transit. Further action should be taken with all inpatient and transport providers to minimise restrictive practice by sharing best practice from programmes such as the SafeWards approach with all children and young people’s inpatient units nationally. In line with requirements to report incidents of restraint in inpatient settings and children’s homes, all organisations involved in the transportation of children should be required to report such incidents so that these can be monitored and acted upon where necessary.
From: Health and Social Care Committee, Eighth Report - Children and young people’s mental health (HC 17), paragraph 150, 9 December 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 18 March 2022 (deadline 9 February 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the Committee's report and says it has "considered the recommendations", with responses that accept some in part, accept a few in full, and are considering others.
- On a cabinet sub-committee (Recommendation 1), it accepts in part, saying "the portfolios of ministers and cabinet committees are the prerogative of the Prime Minister", and it retains a cross-government Ministerial group.
- On 100% access to specialist support (Recommendation 4), "the government is considering" it, adding that plans beyond current commitments "are contingent on future funding settlements".
- It agrees the gap between mental health surveys was too long and commits to "a comprehensive national survey every 7 years", with the next in 2024, rather than the Committee's 3-year cycle.
- It accepts the recommendation on expanding Independent Mental Health Advocates to informal patients, but says this is "subject to future funding decisions".