CYP Now - Pandemic pressures behind children's mental health crisis, experts warn

One in six children is struggling with their mental health and more than a third of young people on waiting lists have yet to start treatment, research shows.

A third of young people on waiting lists for mental health services are still waiting for support. Picture: Adobe Stock

The latest analysis published by the children’s commissioner for England Rachel de Souza, to mark the start of Children’s Mental Health week, reveals the significant impact the pandemic has had on children’s mental health.

The briefing draws on NHS data that showed one in nine children in 2017 had a probable mental health condition.

But that figure increased to one in six in 2020 and 2021 due to the additional pressures on children and young people during the pandemic, it states.

New figures released by the Local Government Association (LGA) show the number of children with mental health problems seen by social workers increased by a quarter in the last two years, amounting to nearly 1,500 children presenting to councils every week.

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