Over a million children referred to mental health services in England
The children's commissioner reports that over a million children were referred to mental health services in England in a year, calling the situation a crisis.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
More than a million children were referred to mental health services in England in a single year, according to new figures. The data, covering the year to March 2025, shows a 10% rise on the previous year. The children's commissioner for England has described the situation as a crisis, warning that young people's lives are being put on hold for months or even years while they wait for treatment.
Cases of anxiety and autism are thought to be driving the increase in demand. The figures also reveal that over a third of children referred had still not received treatment by the end of the period. For children with suspected autism, that figure jumps to 83%. The commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, said the system is struggling to keep up with demand.
Dame de Souza called for health services to work more closely with education and social care. She argued that support should be provided early, in nurseries and schools, and that the focus should shift from asking 'what's wrong with you?' to 'how can I help you?' She insisted that failing to act now would cost much more in the long run.
The report highlights a growing gap between the number of children needing help and the capacity of mental health services to provide it. The commissioner's recommendations include expanding mental health support teams, counsellors, speech and language therapy, and family help in community settings.
On screen
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Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 focused on the scale of the crisis, presenting the raw figures and the human cost of delays. The report gave significant airtime to the children's commissioner's call for early intervention and cross-agency working, framing the issue as a systemic failure that will cost more if not addressed now.
- “more than a million children were referred to mental health services in England in the space of a year”
- “the children's commissioner has called it a crisis saying young people's lives are being put on hold for months or even years while they wait for treatment”
- “Let's make sure that health work with education, with social care and we think about children's lives, we think about supporting the children in crisis and getting the support whether it's mental health support teams, counselors, whether it's speech and language, whether it's family help, getting that around nurseries and around schools nice and early. So the question is, how can I help you? Not what's wrong with you?”
Broadcast Timeline
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