Children's Mental Health referrals reach record high as demand continues to outstrip capacity

New figures published by the Children's Commissioner for England have revealed that more than one million children and young people were referred to mental health services during 2024–25, representing an increase of almost 10% in a single year and highlighting the growing pressure on support services across the country.

The data shows that 1,048,965 children had an active referral to Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) during the year to March 2025. This figure has almost doubled since 2018–19 and equates to around one in ten children in England requiring support, assessment or treatment for mental health needs.

Anxiety continues to be the most common reason for referral, while referrals linked to suspected autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions have increased significantly. The Children's Commissioner has described the situation as a crisis in young people's mental health, with demand rising faster than services can respond.

The figures also highlight ongoing concerns about waiting times. Despite increasing numbers of children receiving support, hundreds of thousands remain on waiting lists and many continue to experience lengthy delays before accessing appropriate help. Experts have warned that prolonged waits can impact children's education, family relationships, social development and long-term wellbeing.

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What does this mean for children's services?

For those working across Family Hubs, Early Help, schools, health services, social care and the voluntary sector, the findings reinforce the importance of early intervention and joined-up support.

Many children and families first present with emotional wellbeing concerns long before they meet the threshold for specialist mental health services. This places increasing importance on the wider workforce being confident to identify concerns early, build trusted relationships, provide practical support and help families navigate often complex systems.

The findings also underline the need for stronger integration between education, health, social care and community-based services. Children rarely experience challenges in isolation. Mental health difficulties are often linked to wider factors including poverty, family stress, housing difficulties, SEND needs, trauma, adverse childhood experiences and social isolation. Addressing these issues requires a whole-system response rather than reliance on specialist services alone.

The importance of a trauma-informed and relational approach

As demand continues to grow, there is increasing recognition that children's behaviour and emotional wellbeing need to be understood within the context of their experiences and relationships.

Trauma-informed, strengths-based and relational approaches can help practitioners recognise distress earlier, respond more effectively and build resilience within families and communities. Alongside investment in specialist services, there remains a crucial role for the wider children's workforce in providing timely support and preventing needs from escalating.

The latest figures serve as a reminder that improving children's mental health is not solely the responsibility of mental health services. It requires coordinated action across the entire system, ensuring that children, young people and families can access the right support, at the right time, from the right people.

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