Waiting times and staffing levels in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are improving, according to Department of Heath figures obtained by CYP Now.
The figures will feature in the government's annual CAMHS mapping exercise, which will be published later this year.
According to the figures, the number of children in England waiting more than six months to see a mental health professional has declined from 2,429 in 2006 to 1,892 in 2007. It will also show the workforce capacity has risen by more than a quarter and spending on CAMHS has risen by more than £200m since 2003.
Paula Lavis, policy and knowledge manager at mental heath charity YoungMinds, said: "Some of the young people we work with wouldn't believe these figures because of their own experiences. My concern is that looking at a national level disguises the variance of provision in local regions."
