The number of children with mental health problems seen by social
workers has surged by a quarter since before the coronavirus
pandemic, amounting to nearly 1,500 kids presenting to councils
every week, the Local Government Association is warning.
There were 77,390 children who had been assessed as having a
mental health need by councils on 31 March 2021, an increase of
25 per cent on the 61,830 seen two years earlier.
The figures are revealed ahead of Children’s Mental Health Week
which begins on Monday.
The LGA, which represents 350 councils across England and Wales,
says they show the devastating impact of COVID-19 on some young
people, with successive lockdowns and school closures harming
young people’s mental wellbeing exacerbating existing mental
health challenges for young people.
It is warning the number of children with mental health problems
could continue to sharply grow, underlining the need for
children’s social care services to be adequately funded, as part
of a child-centred recovery from the pandemic, and the importance
of early intervention to prevent a child or young person reaching
crisis point.
Councils have a lead role to play in promoting good mental health
and tackling mental ill health. Sufficient funding is needed for
councils to meet all existing and new demand for children’s
mental health support which has been built up during the
pandemic, including preventative mental wellbeing work that can
stop the escalation of mental health needs.
This comes as soaring demand to protect children will see future
costs in children’s social care increase by an estimated £600
million each year until 2024/25, with more than 8 in 10 councils
already in the unsustainable position of having to overspend
their budgets.
Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young
People Board, said:
“Councils have grave concerns over the growing mental health
needs of children and young people, which have been worsened by
the pandemic.
“As these figures show, hundreds of children every week are seen
by social workers because they need help with their mental health
and we expect these numbers to grow as the full impact of the
pandemic is felt.
“This reinforces the importance of fully funding the whole system
of children’s mental health support, including councils and the
NHS, to make sure that children get the help they need, when they
need it. That includes early help to prevent children reaching
crisis point.
“Councils want to be able to provide the very best support for
children, which is we are urging government to work with councils
on a child-centred, cross-government pandemic recovery plan which
offers the very best future for children and families.”
Notes to editors
Department for Education statistics show the number of cases
where social workers recorded mental health problems as a factor
in a child having support needs. These were on 31 March 2019:
61,830; 31 March 2020: 75,740, and 31 March 2021: 77,390.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-children-in-need
