Research - SELFA Children's Charity Skipton

Why Children and Young People Need Our Support

Children and young people in the UK face significant challenges, including rising poverty, increasing mental health problems and often, a lack of access to necessary support.

More than 1.7 million pupils in England have special educational needs. Many of these children face challenges, including a lack of adequate support and less access to extra-curricular activities. This can negatively affect their emotional wellbeing, leading to isolation, loneliness and low self-esteem.

Children and young people in the UK are also facing a mental health crisis. There has been a substantial rise in reported poor wellbeing and mental health conditions – and there is a growing demand for mental health services.

We don’t know exactly how many young people are struggling, but here are some statistics that help tell the story.

Key facts about children & young people in the UK

There is a lack of accessible mental health services in rural areas. This need can’t simply be addressed through more NHS or Local Authority staff, as more services are just not viable for such a sparse population (1)

22% of teachers do not feel they are able to meet the needs of SEND pupils (2)

32% of children with SEND are persistently absent from school (3)

In 2021, 57% of children with SEND aged 6 to 16 years are reported to have a probable mental health condition such as anxiety, compared with 13% of those without SEND (4)

99% of school leaders report that the funding they receive for pupils with SEND is insufficient (5)

Four key themes are important in supporting children’s sense of belonging in school: Relationships, School Environment, Teaching and Learning and Extra Curricular Activities (6)

Vulnerable students are less likely to attend both sports clubs, and clubs for hobbies, arts and music, when compared to their peers. This includes students eligible for free school meals, those with lower prior attainment, and those with poorer health and special educational needs or disabilities (7)

One in five children and young people in England aged eight to 25 had a probable mental disorder in 2023 (8)

In North Yorkshire, 20% of boys and 45% of girls in year six of primary school are unhappy, embarrassed, worried, nervous or scared about growing up (9)

67% of children in North Yorkshire aged 6 and 7 worry about something most days – this hasn’t changed since 2010 (10)

More than one in four children in Yorkshire and the Humber are living below the poverty line (11)

Of the 72 local authorities in the North of England, 52 (72%) have lower levels of very good or good health than the national average (12)

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