Children and Young People and Digital Mental Health Technologies
From the beginning of the Health Innovation Network South London’s mental health programme in 2018, south London mental health stakeholders have actively engaged in learning about, testing and implementing digital mental health technologies (DMHTs). However, there remains significant challenges to the widespread adoption and scaling of these technologies within local children and young people’s (CYPs) mental health services.
According to the Children’s Commissioner for England (2025), the number of CYP with active mental health referrals rose by nearly 10,000 in just one year, reaching 958,200 in 2023/24. Traditional mental health services are struggling to meet this growing demand, highlighting the urgent need for innovative, digital, scalable solutions.
We are currently in phase two of the project:
2025/26: Design Project - phase 2
Building on the findings from the 2024–25 Discovery Project, HIN South London hosted a Roundtable discussion in July 2025, chaired by Professor Andrew George, to discuss the areas of opportunity for DMHTs for CYP. Download the report here.
The roundtable highlighted:
- there is a need for innovation in mental health care for CYP
- digital solutions have the potential to meet at least some of that need
technologies provide an opportunity to start the therapeutic journey while young people are waiting to be seen by a CAMHS clinician.
The two priority areas for the remainder of 2025/26 are:
1. Co-design of a digitally enabled CAMHS pathway for anxiety and depression
Working in partnership with south London Mental Health Trusts, to co-design a digitally enabled pathway for anxiety and depression, with a specific focus on NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting lists and young people aged 11+. We will:
- draw on the principles of experienced based co design to engage with young people with lived experience, their parents/carers and the wider system of stakeholders involved in CYP mental health in south London
- take a data informed approach
- engage with relevant DMHT companies identified in our horizon scan
If you provide mental health support to young people aged 11+ in south London and would like to be involved, please contact hin.southlondon@nhs.net.
2. Explore external funding opportunities
The 2024/25 Discovery Project highlighted funding constraints and a lack of confidence in the evidence for DMHTs as some of the key barriers to their adoption. We are currently looking for funders to enable this vital work, with the aim to support:
- the procurement and implementation of clinically validated digital mental health technologies
- the evaluation of the implementation of these digital mental health technologies, including evidencing the outcomes of their impact, effectiveness, return on investment and integration within existing service pathways
Your investment would support the HIN South London to address the urgent need for timely and scalable mental health support for CYP on NHS CAMHS waiting lists.
A report by the Centre for Mental Health and partners, published in 2025, found that the impact of childhood mental health problems leads to £1 trillion in lost earnings across the generation.
We would welcome inquiries from interested investors or funders. Please contact us at hin.southlondon@nhs.net.
2024/25: Discovery Project - phase one
In 2024–25, the Health Innovation Network South London undertook a discovery project to explore the need for transformation, as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with implementing DMHTs for CYP at scale. The project was driven by unprecedented demand for services, the national and local prioritisation of CYP mental health, and a growing DMHT market.
Outputs from the project include:
- A rapid literature review, to understand the reasons for the rise in child and adolescent mental health issues. Download here.
- A horizon scan on available children and young people’s digital mental health technologies. Download here.
- A report on the project’s approach, findings (including engagement with our senior mental health stakeholders) and proposed next steps. Download here.
