‘Young people are falling through the gaps’ - Making care before crisis a reality
Leading mental health charity Mind has today published a new report on the state of children and young people’s mental health in 2025. The report, ‘Care before Crisis’, calls on the government to scale up its network of early intervention mental health hubs ahead of the Budget. More than half a million young people are currently on a waiting list for support.
Approximately 70 early support hubs currently operate in England. They offer dedicated support for 10–25-year-olds at the heart of communities, which don’t require a referral from a GP or teacher. Hubs deliver a broad range of holistic services under one roof, from specialist mental health care through to employment and housing advice, sexual health services and peer support.
Evidence shows hubs help to reduce pressures on NHS services, as well as delivering strong outcomes and reaching a higher number of young people from marginalised backgrounds. Mind is urging the government to boost the programme roll-out and commit to delivering a Young Futures hub in every local authority area.
Mind’s ‘Care before Crisis’ report also calls for a wider package of reforms, including a plan to tackle mental health waiting lists, equivalent to the Elective Reform Plan for physical health, and investment in specialist children and young people’s mental health services.
As part of the research, Mind commissioned think tank More in Common to conduct nationally representative surveys with young people aged 16-24 as well as parents, grandparents and carers. [1] You can read the full report on the Care before Crisis page.
Some of the key findings include:
- Less than a third of children get NHS mental health help in time
- More than four in 10 young people feel stigmatised by discussion about the so-called ‘overdiagnosis’ of mental health problems
- Over half of young people don’t have faith in the government to tackle the nation’s mental health crisis
- None of England’s political parties are seen as champions of mental health
- Mental health is an issue unites voters across the political spectrum.
Jemima Olchawski, Director of Social Impact at Mind, said: “The nation is facing a mental health crisis, with young people bearing the brunt. Evidence shows early support hubs are an effective way to tackle the increasing numbers of young people needing NHS mental health treatment.
“Crucially, young people say hubs are easily accessible and an unintimidating place to seek help on their own terms, when they really need it, without needing a referral from a GP or teacher. We know most mental health problems start in childhood and that the longer young people wait for care, the more unwell they become. This often has devastating impacts on relationships, educational outcomes and employment.
“If the government is truly serious about shifting care from hospital to communities, and creating a mentally healthy nation, it must increase the number of hubs. Leaving people to become more unwell at home, without any kind of support, just means their symptoms can worsen with too many reaching crisis point, having to attend A&E or in the most extreme cases being sectioned under the Mental Health Act.”
Mind media volunteer Freya, 22, from Hertfordshire, said: “Had I received appropriate, early, and trauma-informed care, I likely would never have spent years detained under the Mental Health Act. My story is not unique; it reflects a pattern across the country: young people falling through the gaps of a system that waits for crisis before responding. Crisis care is often the first - and sometimes only - point of access. But by then, the damage is already done and the path to recovery is longer, more traumatic, and more expensive, both personally and systemically.
“Crisis should never be the entry point to care. The right help, offered early and consistently, can prevent tragedy and protect potential. I’m living proof that young people can recover - but I’m also proof of how close we let them come to not surviving first. Care before crisis must be more than a policy aspiration. It must become the norm - because lives depend on it.”
Download our Care Before Crisis report
Download the PDF to read our full report. It explains why we so desperately need hubs across the country, and how the UK government can deliver them to have to the greatest impact on young people's mental health.
[1] To gather new insights for this report, Mind commissioned More In Common to conduct a survey with 1061 young people in England aged between the age of 16-24 between 26 Aug-2 Sept 2025. This poll is weighted to be representative of the English population of this age group, according to gender and age interlocked, region, ethnicity and education level. Participants were recruited through an online panel. Of the respondents, 65% self-selected either themselves or a close family member/friend currently or previously having a mental health problem. A separate nationally representative poll was conducted of 2,106 adults, aged 18 and above, between 5-7 September to capture the views of parents and grandparents about mental health, also recruited through an online panel. This survey was weighted to be representative of the British public (excluding Northern Ireland) according to gender and age interlocked, region, ethnicity, education level and 2024 General Election vote.
