Children facing mental health ‘crisis’ as referrals reach over one million

29th June, 2026 | News

More than one million children and young people in England were referred for mental health treatment in the 12 months to March 2025, according to an analysis of NHS data by the Children’s Commissioner for England, highlighting what officials describe as a growing mental health crisis.

In her annual report released on Monday, Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said demand for mental health support is increasing far faster than available capacity and funding, leaving thousands of children waiting months, and in some cases years, for treatment.

The report found that 1,048,965 children had active referrals to Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) during the period, representing roughly one in every 10 children in England. The figure is almost double the 563,639 referrals recorded in 2018-19 and marks a 9.5 per cent increase from the previous year.

According to the report, referrals for suspected autism recorded the sharpest annual rise, increasing by 47 per cent, followed by a 24 per cent increase in referrals for other neurodevelopmental conditions. Anxiety-related referrals also rose by 12 per cent.

Despite more children receiving treatment, the report noted that over one-third of those referred were still waiting for care. More than 60,000 children had been waiting for over two years, an increase of 15,000 compared with the previous year, while the average waiting time for support stood at 128 days.

Dame Rachel said the figures reflected the “sheer scale of distress” facing children and young people, stressing that behind the statistics are children whose education, wellbeing and daily lives have been disrupted while waiting for urgently needed care.

She acknowledged improvements in access to treatment but warned that the pace of rising demand continues to outstrip the capacity of mental health services and available funding.

The report also found that real-term spending on Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services increased by two per cent to £1.1 billion in 2024-25. However, this fell well short of the nearly 10 per cent increase in referrals over the same period.

To address the growing challenge, the Children’s Commissioner urged the government to develop a comprehensive strategy to tackle the root causes of poor mental health among children and young people. She also called for reforms to England’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system to improve support for children with additional needs.