Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. Delivering high-quality and effective mental health services for children and young people must be a greater priority. There needs to be a greater focus on prevention, not just reactive provisions, supporting good mental health as part of a programme that ensures measures are put in place to reduce the likelihood of ill-health occurring in the first place.

There have been calls for a review into the transition phase between young person and adult services within the NHS. The ITV news recently covered the story of a young woman with autism. She called for a change in the system, so young people moved into adult care don't experience a significant drop in the services they receive. It was suggested that psychiatric sessions were reduced from one hour to just 10 minutes. This can be significant for young people at such a vulnerable period. In response, the Welsh Government announced an additional £50 million for mental health services in the period 2022-23. But what is the strategy to make sure this money is used effectively to allow young people to make a smooth transition into adult services? And how confident are Ministers that they are doing all they can to reduce the risk of harm to those moving from child to adult care? 

I want to turn to the challenges and the impact on young people. The YoungMinds survey report found that 80 per cent of children and young people with existing mental health problems agreed their mental health had deteriorated during the lockdowns. This figure does not include new cases of mental health decline. Ninety-one per cent of young people have accessed a mental health service at some point. Young people from low-income households seem to be particularly affected. Isolation from friends and family, and the shutdown of vital services, have contributed to this. 

Worryingly, nearly half of young people experiencing mental health declines have used negative coping techniques such as self-harm. Some have experienced significant dietary changes. Even though isolation is a major contributory factor to mental health deteriorations, over half now feel anxious about returning to normal life. It is clear that the impact of the pandemic will be felt for a significant time. These facts are concerning and must be considered by the Minister planning for the future of mental health. In February 2022, a Senedd report found that 60 per cent of children and adolescents who required specialist care had to wait more than four weeks for a first appointment.

I have a few suggestions, which I hope the Minister will consider. The Welsh Government need to consider a new mental health Act, which would update current legislation and would include the latest thinking about mental health provisions in Wales. The UK Government are currently making changes to the Mental Health Act 1983, which must be considered when changing the mental health legislation here in Wales.

To ensure a new mental health Bill is fit for purpose, the overarching principles should be: ensuring patients' views and choices are respected; ensuring that the Act is used in the least restrictive way possible; ensuring parity between mental and physical health; and lastly, that the patient should be treated as an individual. Additionally, the Welsh Government should consider changes to section 136 of the 1983 Act, which could help significantly reduce the number of detentions. For someone to be detained, it must be clear that the best interest of the patient can only be achieved through detention. This principle will reduce 'warehousing' of patients, allowing for better care for those who need to be detained, and remove undue stress for those who don't need it.

The Welsh Conservatives welcome dialogue between Westminster and Cardiff. However, mental health is devolved, and this provides an excellent opportunity to deliver a mental health Act that not only includes the benefits of the UK Government proposals, and that ensures parity between mental and physical health, but that is also fit for Wales. We also need to ensure collaboration with mental health charities such as YoungMinds, who, with additional funding from the Welsh Government, can provide specialist support for children and young people. This will address the prevention agenda. For children, a poor experience can be life-changing, so let us up our game. Thank you.