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Children and young people’s mental health: policy and services (England)

Demand for children’s and young people’s mental health services

Demand for children and young people’s mental health services (CYPMHS) has risen over time and children are facing long waits for treatment. The Children’s Commissioner has described a young people’s mental health crisis, with the number of children with a referral to mental health services reaching over a million, around 1 in 10 children, in 2024/25. The National Audit Office (NAO) has said that despite growth in the mental health workforce, services are not keeping up with this pressure.

893,000 people were in contact with children and young people’s mental health services in July 2026, up from 808,000 two years year earlier in July 2024. This number has increased steadily in recent years.

Fonagy review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism

In October 2026, an independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism (the ‘Fonagy review’) found there had been a genuine, significant rise in mental distress and common mental health conditions across the population, particularly among children and young people. It said this rise could not be explained by greater awareness of these conditions alone; other relevant factors included financial insecurity and uncertainty about the future, loneliness, more comparison with others (including in education), aspects of social media and less opportunities for rest, including restorative sleep.

The review also noted a sharp rise in demand for autism and ADHD assessments and in recorded diagnoses, though it could not say that overdiagnosis is happening at scale. It noted that children and young people commonly present with more than one mental health or neurodevelopmental problem, and systems designed around individual diagnoses risk missing the full picture of a person's needs. It also said the rising demand on services reflects a system in which diagnosis has become the “practical gateway” to receiving support, including in educational settings, even if diagnosis is not formally required to qualify for support.

The review recommended a fundamental shift from a “diagnosis-dependent” system to a “needs-led plus diagnosis” system, where people can receive support quickly according to the severity of their difficulties and functional impairment, rather than having to wait for a formal diagnosis.

Responding to the report, the government pledged to ensure people experiencing mental distress receive support earlier, without waiting for a clinical diagnosis (though diagnosis will continue to be offered where clinically appropriate). It said it has asked NHS leaders to urgently examine how to improve access to services. It also said it would take actions to improve the oversight and regulation of autism and ADHD assessments.

Funding for children’s mental health support

Most NHS CYPMHS are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs), which decide how much of their overall budget to spend on these services. They are also expected to meet an investment standard designed to protect funding for mental health. Some stakeholders have raised concerns that changes to this standard have weakened investment in mental health.

In 2026/27, ICBs planned to spend £1.4 billion on CYPMHS (excluding eating disorders), and a further £135 million on eating disorders. This represents 7% of planned total local mental health spending, down from 8% the previous year. Total confirmed spending was up from £1.1 billion on children and young people’s mental health services and £96 million on eating disorders the previous year.

Mental health support settings

Successive government policies have shifted away from providing mental health support solely through specialist NHS child and adolescent mental health services (‘CAMHS’), towards a broader range of support through mental health support teams (MHSTs) in schools and local-authority-led ‘hubs’. In many areas, the traditional model of tiered CAMHS services is also becoming more integrated and needs led.

Government policy

The government has committed to publishing a new mental health strategy for England, informed by the Fonagy review.

In July 2025, the government published a 10 Year Health Plan for England. It included commitments to recruit 8,500 extra mental health workers across adults’ and children’s services, expand MHSTs in schools and colleges to achieve national coverage by 2029 to 2030, and roll out Young Futures Hubs, which bring together mental health services, employment opportunities and crime prevention support.

In April 2026, the government announced it had met its NHS recruitment target. In June 2026, it reported that nearly 80% of secondary schools have access to a MHST. In September 2026, it announced local authorities would open 42 new Young Futures Hubs.

In February 2026, the government published the schools white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, setting out major reforms to the system of support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England. It also launched a consultation on SEND proposals.

The Health and Social Care Committee and Education Committee have launched an inquiry into children and young people’s mental health, focusing on the support available in education and community settings, and how these services are integrated with specialist child and adolescent mental health services and wider NHS provision.