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Mental Health Bill [HL]

My Lords, we on these Benches also support the amendment. The Minister will know that there are precedents for groups of people having a right to advocacy services. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 enshrines the right to advocacy for people lacking capacity through the independent mental capacity advocacy service, and the Adoption and Children Act 2002 gives young people looked after by the state the same right to advocacy. There are many reasons why a young person may need an independent person on whom they can rely to express their wishes to the appropriate authorities. I am particularly concerned about the right to education. The Children’s Commissioner report contains a case study about a young woman called Amber, who was not offered any education during her seven-month stay on the adult psychiatric ward, despite being 14 at the time of her admission. A child’s right to education and all the other rights are matters with which an advocate would be able to help them. An advocate could also ensure that children were properly informed, understood the treatment that was being made available to them, and many other matters. I support the noble Baroness, Lady Howells, on this.