Over one million children referred for mental health support in a year
The number of children being referred to mental health services in England is on the rise.
The number of children being referred to mental health services in England is on the rise.
The annual report, Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services: 2024-25, also confirms that referrals have increased by 10% in the past year to exceed one million.
It’s been described as a young people’s mental health crisis by Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza, who says there is ‘no disguising the fact that the figures in this report are stark’.
She adds that while there are no apparent ‘straightforward answers’ to what has been driving the rise, anxiety was listed as the most common reason for referrals to support services, accounting for 16%.
Statistics obtained by her office further suggest that demand has been ‘growing especially’ for children with suspected autism and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Cases of suspected autism rose by almost 50% in a single year, surpassing 96,000, while other neurodevelopmental conditions, such as ADHD and Tourette’s syndrome, increased by nearly a quarter.
In these instances, children are most likely to face some of the longest waits, with fewer than 1 in 5 going on to receive support in 2024-25. Those who did wait were on lists for, on average, a year.
Dame Rachel has warned of the waits youngsters are facing to receive diagnoses and treatment, with more than 60,000 waiting over two years for help, which has increased from over 44,000 the previous year.
She has acknowledged that there have been improvements to services over the past 12 months, but the ‘colossal challenge’ facing them cannot be disregarded, as demand is rising faster than capacities and funding can keep up with.
Going forward, Dame Rachel has called for a change in approach and more collaboration between ‘health, education, and social care to ensure children are getting the help they need in schools and the community’.
Furthermore, the charity YoungMinds has raised concerns about the barriers facing Black children and those from racial minorities, particularly those referred with suspected autism or neurodevelopmental conditions.
This comes after Black and Asian children were underrepresented in referrals but have been found to be enduring severe distress or facing crisis when they are referred.