New figures showing a sharp rise in children and young people attending A&E in mental health crisis are deeply concerning – particularly the increase among children as young as six.

Analysis by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health found that more than 75,000 six to 17-year-olds attended A&E for a mental health concern in England in 2025 – a 36% increase compared with 2019.

Behind every statistic is a child in distress and the adults supporting them who have reached the point where they don't know where else to turn.

Children need support before they reach crisis

A&E services provide a vital safety net, but they were never designed to provide ongoing mental health care for children.

For a child already experiencing significant distress, an emergency department can be a frightening and overwhelming environment. Families, and those caring for children, should not have to reach crisis point before they can access appropriate support.

Martin Bell, our Head of Policy and Public Affairs, said:

“These figures are deeply concerning and underline the urgent need to intervene earlier. Children and young people should not have to reach crisis point before they can access the mental health support they need.

“A&E is a vital part of our health service, but it should not become the default destination for children who are struggling because they have been unable to access appropriate support elsewhere.”

We need to invest in early intervention

Counselling and psychotherapy have an important role to play in early intervention. Children and young people should have access to qualified therapeutic support in schools and their communities, without having to become sufficiently unwell to meet a threshold for specialist services.

This is particularly important for children who fall into the gap between universal support, interventions provided by Mental Health Support Teams and specialist services such as CAMHS.

“We need a mental health system that provides step-care support before difficulties escalate to crisis. School counselling and accessible community-based therapy can provide an important part of that early intervention, helping children and young people get the right support at the right time,” shared Martin.

“We have a skilled and qualified counselling workforce that is able to play a much greater role in supporting children and young people in distress. We need to make better use of that expertise alongside specialist mental health services, not wait until children are in crisis before offering help.”

Prevention must be at the heart of the new strategy

The Government’s forthcoming mental health strategy is an opportunity to put children and young people at the heart of a more preventative approach.

We want to see greater investment in early intervention and accessible, community-based psychological support, alongside specialist services for children and young people with more complex needs.

“The Government’s new mental health strategy must put prevention and early intervention at its heart. We cannot continue with a system that waits for children to become seriously unwell before they can access meaningful therapeutic support,” Martin added.

“Every child arriving at A&E in mental health crisis represents a child who needs help, and a family who needs support. We must make sure that help is available much earlier.”