NAS Response to Children’s Commissioner’s Report

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has today published her annual report, Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services: 2024-25. Our charity’s response to the report is included below.

Our comment

Mel Merritt, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “The Children’s Commissioner’s report clearly shows autistic children and young people are being failed. They face unacceptable average waits of a year for a diagnosis and even after a diagnosis, autistic children wait twice as long as their peers for any support. Only 13% of children waiting for an autism assessment went on to receive support, the rest remain lost in a system that simply isn’t working. Without support they can face escalating mental health issues, crisis, detention in a mental health hospital and even in some cases loss of life.

“Urgent action is needed. The Government needs to stop ignoring this problem. We support the Children’s Commissioner’s calls for improved joint working between services. The Government’s new Mental Health Strategy and the next autism strategy must have funded plans for improving access to support for autistic children and young people.”