Advocate for young minds: Emma Thomas, chief executive, YoungMinds

Emma Thomas joined YoungMinds last July following the departure of Sarah Brennan after 11 years at the helm of the children's mental health charity. She joins at a time of major reforms amid significant challenges, with new school-based mental health teams due to be established but rising concerns over long waiting times for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

The Mental Health Green Paper includes plans for mental health support teams in every school, but only a quarter of England is to be covered by 2022. Does implementation need to be quicker?

Schools are a prime space for children to learn early on about wellbeing and mental health, and there is a role for schools in intervening when problems first emerge as well as signposting or referring to specialist services when necessary. The mental health support teams fit with our calls for greater mental health support in schools, and we welcome the new trailblazer sites that will test the approach. However, at most only 25 per cent of the country will be covered by 2022/23 - so many children will not receive the support they need.