The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) has published a news story discussing findings from new research exploring mental health services and support for children and young people in England with social care involvement. The research involved an analysis of 20,000 case notes relating to 70 young people. Findings included that referrals to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) were often rejected in cases where there were complex social factors, such as an unstable home environment or insecure immigration status. This approach presented a barrier to CAMHS for young people with social care involvement, including those in foster or residential care whose home environment was viewed as unstable. The research calls for greater financial investment in CAMHS; a move away from requiring ‘social stability’ ahead of therapeutic input; more parental mental health support; and increased provision of early intervention services.
Read the news story: Mental health services failing children with social care involvement, study reveals
Read the research: The social must be stabilised: How are the social needs of young people with social work involvement characterized in their mental health case notes?
Source: NCB
Date published: 17 September 2025
