Average waiting times between children being referred to mental health services and starting treatment are increasing for the first time since 2017, according to the latest information.
The children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza says this is a reversal of the trend before the COVID pandemic.
Figures from the NHS show average waiting times between a child being referred to mental health services and starting treatment has increased from 32 days in 2020-21 to 40 days in 2021-22.
The commissioner says less than half the 1.4 million children thought to have a mental health disorder received at least one contact with children and young people’s mental health services.
Dame de Souza said she wanted to see mental health support teams in every school by the end of 2025.
In the foreword to the report she says: ‘This data is the first available since services were widely re-opened after the pandemic, and shows a surging demand for help.
‘The welcome progress that has been made in recent years on improving children’s access to the right support is struggling to keep up with this demand – with waiting times increasing in the first time in years.
‘It is vital that this support is made available because to allow children the chance to recover, and go on to achieve all that they want to, but also because without support things can end up in crisis.’
