Four of the UK’s leading children and young people’s and mental health organisations have joined forces to launch the ‘Future Minds Campaign’, calling on the Government to deliver urgent reform and investment to boost children’s mental health services in its forthcoming Spending Review and 10 Year NHS Plan.

New research released by the campaign says that the mental health crisis facing children and young people will prevent economic growth and productivity. It estimates that the long-term impact of mental health problems in childhood now costs the UK over £1 trillion in lifetime lost earnings.

The campaign is led by the Centre for Mental Health, Centre for Young Lives, the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, and YoungMinds, with the support of the Prudence Trust, and is endorsed by more than 30 major charities such as Rosetrees, Mind and the NSPCC.

The campaign calls for increased investment in mental health services, with a commitment to meeting 70% of diagnosable need by the end of this Parliament. Current spending on children and young people’s mental health amounts to just over £1.1 billion per year, meeting only 40% of need. To reach 70% by the end of this parliament, an additional £167 million will be needed in the first year, with incremental increases required by the end of the 2028/29 financial year.

The new campaign comes at a time when one in five children and young people now experience a common mental health problem such as anxiety or depression. The number of young people in contact with mental health services has never been higher, and yet around 60% of children considered to have a diagnosable mental health condition have no contact with NHS-funded mental health services.

Poor mental health is estimated to cost the economy at least £300 billion a year in England, and the Government has identified how rising prevalence of mental ill health in young people is having a huge impact on labour market participation.

The Future Minds Campaign is calling for:

• The full rollout of Mental Health Support Teams by the end of this Parliament, with a commitment to adapt the model to meet a broader range of need.
• The delivery of “open access mental health services for children and young people in every community”, initially through the Young Futures programme.
• An independent Government-commissioned rapid review to examine the causes of the rise in prevalence in children and young people’s mental health.
• A comprehensive children and young people’s mental health workforce plan.
• Increased local government funding to support investment in prevention and early intervention.

Read the full report here: https://cypmhc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Future-Minds-Report-2025-WEB.pdf