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Labour MP David Hinchliffe hosted a parliamentary briefing to highlight Community Care’s child and adolescent mental health campaign 'Changing Minds', writes Katie Leason.

He commended Community Care for running the “timely” campaign, and said that the changes being made to mental health legislation via the mental health bill offer an “incredible opportunity”.

“I feel there is the opportunity to change legislation in a way of benefit to the individuals we are concerned about here,” he said.

He added that the secretary of state had assured him that a select committee would be held to explore further the issues surrounding the mental health bill, and that the early day motion he tabled in October has resulted in “a lot of support and awareness”. However, he recommended that individuals also lobby in their own local areas.

Community Care’s editor, Polly Neate, said that since the campaign was launched in August hundreds of social care professionals, service users, and carers have written to their MPs, while hundreds more have signed the magazine’s petition, which is to be presented to the department of health next month.

Alex Williams, a 24-year-old student and volunteer from Mindlink, a network of mental health service users, spoke of her experience of anorexia and the struggle she had in accessing appropriate services. “I feel badly let down,” she said.

Meanwhile Benni-Jo Tyler, from care leavers’ organisation A National Voice, explained how the mental health problems of young people in care are often missed because they move around. She suggested that access to services needs to be improved.

“The point with mental health is that you can’t see it and you can’t touch it. How can you access services if you are afraid and alone and feeling suicidal? You need services when you need them not when they become available,” she said.