The decline in children and young people’s mental health is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Around one in five young people aged 8 to 25 now has a diagnosable common mental health problem, such as anxiety and depression, but too many face long waits for care, with early support often unavailable or insufficient.
To address these significant challenges, we launched the Future Minds campaign alongside the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Centre for Young Lives and YoungMinds, with support from the Prudence Trust. In 2025 we set out a high-level vision for investing in children’s mental health in this report. To take this vision forward, the campaign has produced a roadmap to transform children and young people’s mental health by 2035.
The Future Minds roadmap puts forward concrete solutions to address the concerns and struggles of children, young people, and their families, calling for:
- A shift from hospital to community: Stabilising specialist and inpatient services while shifting investment towards earlier, community-based support to cut the cost of crisis
- A new digital age of treatment and support: Moving from analogue care by safely harnessing digital tools and AI to widen access, reduce waiting times, and increase productivity
- A new era of prevention: Adopting an approach that embeds wellbeing support in schools, youth services, and families.
Early, localised support reduces the likelihood of crisis, eases pressure on specialist services and improves life chances for young people. The Future Minds roadmap shows that with decisive action, the Government can close the treatment gap, improve outcomes for children and young people, and reduce long-term costs to society.
