BPS responds to rise in children’s emergency mental health referrals

There were 32,521 such referrals in 2022-23, an increase of more than 50 per cent from the 21,242 recorded in the pre-pandemic year 2019-20.

Dr Roman Raczka, BPS President-Elect, said:

"These new figures are shocking, and lay bare the number of children and young people who are reaching the point of crisis with their mental health.

"It's clear that the number of children requiring help has grown significantly since the pandemic, and the government needs to put measures in place now to turn the tide and prevent this issue from becoming even worse.

"We would like to see a clear focus on prevention to reduce the numbers requiring emergency treatment, alongside ensuring that funding and workforce are sufficient to make sure that children in crisis receive the care that they need."

Dr Rachel Bradley, incoming chair of the Division of Clinical Psychology's Faculty for Children Young People and their Families, added:

"In addition to a direct focus on children and young people, it is essential to put resources into addressing the wider family factors contributing to their poor mental health, which include financial hardship and accommodation issues due to the cost of living crisis, a reduction in the amount of local authority support available to families and parental mental health difficulties.

"We welcome the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme but further investment will be needed to fully change outcomes for today's babies. Services for families with older children also need to be improved to address difficulties that have already developed after years of underfunding.

"All too often we see families seeking support but falling through gaps between services until they reach crisis point, and the current steep rise in emergency referrals to CAMHS is one indicator of this."