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David Hinchliffe MP has tabled an early day motion supporting Community Care's 'Changing Minds' campaign for better mental health care for children, writes Katie Leason.

The EDM put forward by Hinchliffe, who is chairperson of the House of Commons health select committee, highlights the lack of national policy on facilities for treating young people with mental health problems. It also calls on the government to convene a taskforce to draw up a national strategy for England covering all mental health services for children and young people.

Young people are ending up back in the mental health system as adults with "more severe and enduring difficulties", it reads.

In addition, the EDM calls for increased funding in mental health services for children and young people, stating that there is almost no specialist provision and few community based services available for them, even though the previous health select committee specifically called for such services.

While acknowledging the "considerable headway" the government is already making in addressing the issue, Peter Wilson, chief executive of children''s mental health charity YoungMinds, welcomed the EDM.

"We do need to recognise that the scale of children''s mental health problems is considerable and will need substantial resources to ensure there is a sufficient workforce available to carry out improvements and that there is greater investment in the training of staff," Wilson said.