Topic Summary on Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing

The foundations for mental health and wellbeing in adulthood are laid during childhood and adolescence. Around half of all adult mental health problems start by the mid-teens, and three-quarters by the mid-20s. Children and young people grow and develop rapidly – physically, socially, mentally and emotionally. The environments and circumstances they grow up in, and the experiences they have, shape their development and wellbeing. It is estimated that 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8-25 in England have a mental ill-health condition, and many more are growing up in circumstances that may impact on their mental health and wellbeing (e.g. because they are living in poverty or have other challenges in their lives).

Manchester has always recognised the importance of supporting children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing as they grow up. In recent years, challenges such as austerity, the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, have all had an impact on children and young people’s experiences of growing up, and the support that is available to them. The digital environment has changed the way children and young people interact with the world around them, and they are very aware of how climate change and other global events may affect their future.

Manchester’s key strategic plans, including the Our Manchester Strategy, Children and Young People’s Plan and the Making Manchester Fairer Plan, are very clear about the importance of improving children and young people’s health and wellbeing outcomes and reducing inequalities. Manchester is working towards becoming a UNICEF Child Friendly City, with health as one of the key priorities children and young people said they wanted to focus on.

Children are generally understood to be aged 0-18 years, but there is no standard definition of ‘young people’. There are different ways of defining and understanding ‘mental health’ and ‘wellbeing’. For this JSNA, we have defined ‘children and young people’ as anyone aged 0-25 years. We have taken a ‘public mental health’ approach to the JSNA, this means that we are looking at:

• creating conditions that support good mental health and wellbeing,

• protecting people from the impact of poor conditions on their mental health and wellbeing,

• supporting people to improve their mental health and wellbeing (including treatment and support for people with mental ill-health), and

• strengthening how we work together as a system and with our communities and residents.

This JSNA provides a summary of the evidence and data regarding the mental health and wellbeing needs of children and young people. It describes the wider determinants of mental health and wellbeing (e.g. the circumstances people live in) and includes insights from Manchester children and young people about their experiences of living and growing up in the city. It also describes what Manchester City Council, the NHS and other organisations working in the city are doing to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in the city, and identifies opportunities for action to strengthen support, and work together to address gaps.

Key points highlighted in the JSNA include:

• National estimates suggest that 1 in 5 children and young people experience mental health problems and that these are more common among girls and young women than boys and young men, especially in older age groups. We have some local data on children and young people who are accessing mental health services, but we need to understand more about the wider population of children and young people in Manchester, including how different groups of children and young people in the city experience mental health and wellbeing.

• The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in Manchester is shaped by a complex interplay of socioeconomic, community-level, family-level, and individual-level determinants. These can affect children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing in different ways at different ages. Poverty, discrimination, housing insecurity, problems with school, difficult family relationships, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are key contributors to poor mental health and general wellbeing.

• Physical and mental health and wellbeing are linked – food security and quality, opportunities for play and activity, and adequate sleep all impact on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Support to navigate the challenges of growing up, like dealing with risk behaviours (smoking/vaping, alcohol/drugs, gaming/gambling), social media and bullying, is important in preventing mental ill-health.

• Some groups of children and young people may be more likely to experience mental health problems and need additional support, including children and young people who experience homelessness, identify as LGBTQ+, are looked after/care experienced, are involved in the criminal justice system and/or gang-affiliated, are not in education/employment or training (NEET), are seeking sanctuary, have caring responsibilities, or are identified as neurodivergent and/or having special education needs or disabilities (SEND).

• Children and young people are aware of the things that influence their health and wellbeing (at personal, community and societal levels), and the things that concern them. They describe issues with accessing services (long waiting times, not knowing where to get information, difficulty navigating services, communication issues), the need for earlier support and the importance of services understanding identities and being culturally competent. Children and young people tell us about the importance of feeling safe in their communities and having access to public spaces and good transport networks. They talk about the pressures of growing up – dealing with school, relationships, social media, and worries about the future. They know what can help – being respected and listened to by adults they can trust in safe and non-judgemental spaces, and having access to opportunities for play, activity, creativity, and connections with others in the places they live.

The JSNA describes the range of services that are available to support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing, including support for parents. These include NHS specialist and acute mental health services delivered in community and inpatient settings (e.g. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – CAMHS), NHS community-based services (e.g. mThrive hubs), community-based mental health support provided by voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations (e.g. 42nd Street), and school-based mental health support teams (e.g. Manchester Thrive in Education).

Other services that support children, young people and families include youth services, family hubs and early help, and public health services (e.g. health visitors, school nurses, substance use and stop smoking support, sexual health services). The JSNA also describes digital mental health support that is available across Greater Manchester for children, young people and families.

The JSNA summarises the evidence base for actions that can improve mental health and wellbeing for children and young people and proposes several areas where further actions across the city. These are aligned to the Manchester mental wellbeing framework themes of: creating the conditions for good mental health and wellbeing, protecting people from poor conditions, supporting people to improve their mental health and wellbeing, and strengthening the way we work together on mental health and wellbeing. Specific opportunities for action identified in the JSNA include:

• Gaining recognition as a Child Friendly City

• Improving children and young people’s living environments e.g. through ‘commercial determinants of health’ and play sufficiency workstreams

• Improving understanding of the specific mental health and wellbeing needs of children and young people in Manchester, including minoritised communities

• Developing early help and support infrastructure in communities and neighbourhoods e.g. through family hubs, Young Futures hubs and mThrive, and improving the availability of wellbeing support for children and young people

• Strengthening how we work together across organisational boundaries to improve mental health and wellbeing access and provision for children and young people, with particular attention to the needs of minoritised communities

• Further develop mental health and wellbeing information, training and support for the children and young people’s workforce

This JSNA was completed in September 2025 and was presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board on the 17 September 2025.

A full copy of the JSNA can be accessed as part of the papers for that meeting.