Key Summary
- There has been a 10 per cent yearly increase in the number of children referred to mental health services.
- Anxiety was listed as the most common concern, accounting for 16 per cent of all referrals.
- Over a third of the children were still waiting for treatment.
There was a roughly 10 per cent increase in the number of children referred to mental health services in England during 2024-2025 financial year, bringing the total to more than one million.
Anxiety was the single most common reason for referral, accounting for 16 per cent of cases, while referrals for suspected autism increased by almost 50 per cent to more than 96,000.
Consultations for other neurodevelopmental conditions, including ADHD and Tourette’s syndrome, also rose by nearly a quarter.
The report, Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services: 2024-25, was produced by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England under Dame Rachel de Souza.
Over a third of referred children were still waiting for treatment at the end of the financial year 2024- 2025, and more than 60,000 had been waiting for over two years, up from just over 44,000 the previous year (2023-2024).
Fewer than one in five children referred for suspected autism (13 per cent) or other neurodevelopmental conditions (19 per cent) received treatment in 2024-25, and those who did waited, on average, about a year for support.
The report found that there are additional barriers and longer waits faced by Black and racially minority children and young people and by those referred for suspected autism or other neurodevelopmental needs.
Inequalities and demographic disparities
For the minority of children who received at least two contacts (defined as receiving treatment), the median wait time was 35 days, while for the hundreds of thousands still waiting at the end of the year the median wait stretched to 224 days, up from 179 days in 2021-22.
Slightly more girls than boys were referred (51 per cent versus 48 per cent), and girls were more likely to receive treatment (40 per cent versus 31 per cent), a difference the report attributes to boys being more often referred for neurodevelopmental conditions and girls more often for anxiety.
Younger children aged 0-6 faced the longest waits because many were referred for suspected autism, and both very young children (0-6) and older teenagers (16-17) were among those most likely to have cases closed without receiving any treatment.
Dame Rachel de Souza described the figures as “stark,” acknowledging some improvements in support but warning that demand continues to outstrip capacity and funding and calling for better coordination across health, education and social care so children can get help in schools and the community.
The charity YoungMinds said it was concerned about the additional barriers and longer waits faced by Black and racially minoritised children and young people and by those referred for suspected autism or other neurodevelopmental needs.
The data show that Black and Asian children are underrepresented in referrals, yet when they are referred they are more likely to be in severe distress or crisis, with one in four Black children referred for being in crisis compared with 16 per cent of Asian children and 7.4 per cent of White children.
Children from the most deprived 10 per cent of areas in England accounted for 15 per cent of referrals, while those from the least deprived areas made up 7.6 per cent.
