Just over 90% of children and young people being referred for mental health care in Scotland started treatment within 18 weeks, the latest official figures show.

It is the first time the Scottish government target for referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) has been met since it was set over a decade ago.

However, the Public Health Scotland data also reveals that for the three months to December last year there was a slight increase in the overall number of young people waiting to start treatment.

That figure of 4,362 was up by 3.1% (131) compared to 4,231 in the previous quarter.

In total, 8,919 children and young people were referred to CAMHS in Scotland.

Of those, 3,812 started treatment.

That was up by 0.3% from 3,801 in the previous quarter, and down by 15.9% from 4,531 in the same period at the end of 2023.

Half of the children and young people started treatment within four weeks of referral, which was down from six weeks in both the previous quarter and the corresponding 2023 figure.

To help cut waiting times, some health boards are setting up new referral pathways for children with conditions such as ADHD or autism.

The move has been welcomed by specialists and charities but they warn that without additional staff it will lead to competition for resources.

Currently there is no national data to show how many children are waiting for neurodivergence assessments instead of waiting to see a CAMHS specialist.

• What is CAMHS and how can I get a CAMHS referral for my child?