MENTAL-HEALTH support for youngsters in England and Wales is at crisis-point, the Children’s Society has warned.
To coincide with Children’s Mental Health Week (3 to 9 February), the charity published its poll of 3011 parents of youngsters aged 4 to 17, conducted in November 2024 — greater than 70 per cent of whom said that their child or children had been affected by mental-health problems.
Of these 2137 parents, almost half (45 per cent) said that their child or children had sought help regarding their mental health. And, of this group, fewer than one third (29 per cent) reported that their child or children had received the support that that they had needed; 16 per cent had not received the required support.
More than one third of fogeys (38 per cent) had sought support for his or her child or children who had been affected by mental-health problems in a number of ways — 53 per cent from school; 39 per cent from the GP; 25 per cent from family and friends; 25 per cent from a mental-health charity; 25 per cent privately; 13 per cent through an internet forum; and 13 per cent through the local council website.
More than half of all parents surveyed (51 per cent) agreed that current waiting times or thresholds were stopping their children from accessing the support that they needed, and 85 per cent agreed that more mental-health and well-being support ought to be offered to children earlier, before crisis-point.
To reinforce the message, the Children’s Society has digitally edited a series of photographs of statues of youngsters from across the country, giving each a latest inscription. For example, the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens, in London, is given a latest plaque: “Peter Pan never ages — but Liverpool’s children do. They can’t wait months for mental health support. Statues stand still. Childhoods can’t.”
The chief executive of the Children’s Society, Mark Russell, said: “Parents aren’t asking for miracles — they’re asking for basic support before problems snowball, but, as an alternative, are met with barriers and delays. Far too many children are counting down the times to crisis this winter — their childhoods are hanging within the balance.
“Children can’t wait for weeks or months for treatment, they need immediate help before their issues hit crisis point. We must act now to make sure every child has access to the mental health care they need.”
