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.

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.

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 an independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism. The review’s interim report, published in June 2026, found common mental health conditions and psychological distress have increased over the past twenty years, particularly among younger people. The final report recommends making support more readily available without a diagnosis. 

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.

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 and Education Committees 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.