Support for Selective Mutism

The BBC will shortly be showing an interview with one of our longstanding members of staff,  who has a 6 year old daughter who has suffered with Selective Mutism for over two years. It has a profound effect on every aspect of her life. She has never spoken a single word at school and needs significant adult support to access normal activities like her peers. She has never made a friend. She desperately wants to be like her siblings.

Currently there is no commissioned pathway for mutism in Sussex. There is absolutely no service to guide parents or her school and every service her parents have approached reject or discharge her as too complex. Neighbouring areas, including East Sussex, Hampshire and Surrey have a defined and established pathway. Her parents had to seek private advice just to be diagnosed. The message with mutism is early intervention is key despite there being no intervention available, not even Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, despite it being a mental health disorder.

We have several patients at the practice who are equally effected and even once they reach adulthood no support has been made available.  These individuals have gone on to suffer deterioration in their mental health from possible eating disorders to suicidal ideation.

We want to change this. Our member of staff has been instrumental in starting a parent led petition which now has almost 1300 signatures. It has been submitted to WSCC for formal scrutiny. Local MPs have agreed to table this as a written question at parliament. The next step is NHS Sussex involvement.

If you've read this far thank you and if you feel able to please sign the petition

Thank you so much for helping raise awareness and give these children a voice.

Published: May 15, 2026