Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

In 2025, NHS England published Urgent and emergency mental health care for children and young people: national implementation guidance to support ongoing local implementation of crisis services with the intention of improving experience and outcomes of children and young people who present with a mental health crisis. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-mental-health-care-for-children-and-young-people-national-implementation-guidance/

The guidance describes four core crisis functions that need to be operational nationally, all of which have interdependencies across the whole urgent and emergency care pathway, from community support to specialist intensive support and inpatient admission, including for both physical and mental health. These core functions are:

1. single point of access through NHS 111 ‘select mental health option’ to crisis support, advice, and triage, 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
2. crisis biopsychosocial assessment in the emergency department and/or community settings, 24 hours a day, seven days a week in both emergency departments and community settings or a combination across both settings;
3. brief response in the emergency department and/or community settings, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with children and young people being offered brief interventions in the home and/or community seven days a week; and
4. intensive home treatment services for children and young people who might otherwise require inpatient care or intensive support that exceeds the normal capability of a generic children and young people’s mental health community team in the home and/or community, seven days a week.

NHS England and the Department are developing a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Children and Young People (CYP) to deliver a step-change in child health over the next decade, particularly improving the quality and performance of CYP health services. Mental health is core to the MSF, and it will consider both physical and mental health needs, including improving integration of these and addressing concurrent needs. The MSF is being informed by a national call for evidence which concluded at the end of April, with final publication due in Autumn.