Demand for children's mental health services in England is rising rapidly and services are struggling to keep pace, according to a new report from the Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza. The report points to a deepening crisis, with the Commissioner stressing that behind the figures are real children in real distress.
The findings show that more than one million children had an active referral for mental health treatment over the past year. That equates to around one in ten children in England, a rise of almost 10 percent over the previous year and nearly double the number of cases recorded in 2018 to 2019.
Anxiety remains the most common reason for referral, accounting for about 16 percent of all cases. The report also highlights a significant increase in referrals linked to suspected autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions, which are contributing substantially to the growing demand.
The pressure on services is translating into long waits for support. According to the report, one in three children are still waiting for treatment, and more than 60,000 have been waiting for over two years to access help. The Commissioner argued that children in such acute distress should not be left on lengthy waiting lists.
Dame Rachel said she had analysed the figures and spoken to head teachers, the overwhelming majority of whom identified children's mental health as their biggest concern in education. She described the doubling of cases since 2018 to over a million as shocking, and warned that the distress underlying the numbers is genuine.
The Commissioner linked the surge to the major shocks this generation of children has lived through. She pointed to the disruption of lockdowns and time out of school, the strain of the cost-of-living crisis on families, and the pressures of life online and gaming. When she asks children what worries them, she said, many talk about money and about finding a job.
While calling for immediate support for children already in crisis, Dame Rachel argued that the bigger question is how to intervene earlier in children's lives so problems do not escalate. She singled out suspected autism cases in particular, saying children often need support around them, including at nursery age, rather than long waits for a diagnosis.