England’s children’s mental health services are seeing a continued rise in demand, with the number of young people referred for support surpassing one million for the first time in 2024-25, according to analysis of NHS data reported by the Children’s Commissioner for England. Rachel de Souza’s report says the number of children and young people with an active referral to children and young people’s mental health services (CYPMHS) exceeds one million. The figure represents a near 10% increase compared with the previous year and is described as almost double the number recorded in 2018-19.
The Children’s Commissioner characterises the situation as a “crisis” in young people’s mental health and calls for an overhaul of state support. While the reporting highlights rising referral numbers, the sources do not give a single agreed explanation for the increase, focusing instead on the scale of demand and the need for system-wide response. The coverage draws primarily on the commissioner’s findings and NHS data analysis, presenting a snapshot of how quickly referrals are growing across England.
