Alcohol and drug treatment increased by 16% in children and young people
Treatment and substance trends show an increase in young people seeking help, with substance issues tied to mental health
The government today released new statistics for children and young people during the period of April 2023 to March 2024, finding that there were 14,352 young people aged 17 and under in alcohol and drug treatment. The report also found that nearly half (49%) of those seeking treatment stated they also had a mental health treatment need, with a higher proportion of girls (65%) reporting needing treatment than boys (40%).
When looking into the substances recorded it was found that 87% of children and young people in treatment stated having a cannabis problem, and almost 2 in 5 reported having problems with alcohol. Of those in treatment 99% received psychosocial intervention which included talking therapies and counselling to support behaviour change. Less than 1% of children and young people in treatment received pharmacological intervention.
The details of the report show that 85% of those in programmes left treatment due to successful completion, the highest success rate since records began in 2005. It also marks a slight improvement on the previous years rate of 83%.
Find the full government report including referral routes and policy context linked below.
The statistical findings in the government report come from National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS).