Petition · past parliament
The Government Must Cut Waiting Times For Children’s Mental Health Services
Closed
8 signatures
What the petition asks
We call on the government to tackle the mental health epidemic at the root, and fast - to do this it needs to cut waiting times for children (5-16 years old), shortening its timeline to introduce maximum waiting times by 2022-23. If not, our country will lose countless young lives in the meantime.
On May 9 two committees of MPs published a report saying the government's plans will take too long to come into effect and will ‘fail a generation’. On average, a child waits a decade from the moment they suffer their first symptom of poor mental health to receiving treatment. At such a crucial stage in children's development, mental health issues should be treated as a matter of urgency. Diagnosing and treating issues early will help deal with problems before they develop into something worse.
Timeline
| 16 May 2018 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 16 Nov 2018 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
8
Status
Closed
Opened
16 May 2018
Closed
16 Nov 2018
Follow this petition
Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.
Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.