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Children's mental health 'crisis' with one in 12 needing help last year amid surging demand, report warns

Related Topics: Dame Rachel de Souza

Soaring demand has plunged children’s mental healthcare into ‘crisis’ with one in 12 kids referred for help last year, a damning report reveals.

Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, said the challenges of modern life are placing an unprecedented toll on youngsters’ emotional wellbeing.

But she warned the NHS is ill-equipped to cope with the fallout caused by ‘harmful’ social media, a cost of living crisis and the pandemic.

It means those in need are forced to wait ‘far too long’ for care, during which time their fragile mental state is at risk of worsening.