190,271 under 18-year-olds were referred to mental health services between June and April 2021. A 134% increase from the previous year.
And there are currently 374,000 under 18-year-olds on the official waiting list for NHS mental health care.
This is an emergency.
Here is the narrative that should be written...
"This generation of children have faced challenges others have not faced since the war. Their schooling has been disrupted, but they did still learn. They have proved themselves to be resilient, caring and hardworking.