Children and young people

Overview

The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) identifies increasing complexity across childhood, adolescence, education, health, and family support.

Mental health is a central concern throughout childhood. The early-years assessment of children aged under 5 states that infant emotional health and wellbeing need greater attention. The primary-school assessment identifies trauma and adversity as important influences on children’s wellbeing. National evidence and local stakeholder observations support trauma-informed approaches within schools and services. Primary-aged children also experience anxiety, low mood, emotional wellbeing concerns, and sleep problems. Secondary pupils rank emotional wellbeing, mental health, and social media among their leading concerns. Wider assessments identify trauma as a risk factor for mental health difficulties and substance-related need. Need is increasing within both mainstream and specialist pathways. Schools provide important opportunities for identification, prevention, resilience building, and coordinated support. However, home-educated children may have reduced access to school-based public health support.

Inequalities begin during early childhood and remain visible throughout education. Poverty, insecure housing, deprivation, disability, ethnicity, and family adversity influence health, school attendance, attainment, and service access. Children experiencing greatest adversity often have fewer resources for resilience. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils experience particularly poor attainment and attendance. Children in care face poorer physical, emotional, educational, and social outcomes. Young carers face challenges affecting wellbeing, relationships, education, and future opportunities.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) represent growing and increasingly complex needs. Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs frequently overlap with speech, language, and communication needs. Education, Health and Care Plan rates vary substantially between districts. Swale records particularly high EHCP rates across primary and secondary phases of education. Identification also differs by ethnicity and educational stage. Traveller of Irish heritage and Gypsy Roma pupils have significantly higher recorded levels of Special Educational Needs support.

Childhood excess weight is strongly associated with income and deprivation. Food insecurity affects many households and is associated with eating past satiation among children. The 2020 assessment describes an unequal burden among lower-income children. More than one-third of pupils in year 6 are either overweight or obese. Weight interacts with physical activity and is a risk factor for conditions such as Diabetes. Oral health shares dietary risk factors with obesity and diabetes. Reduced dental access and disrupted routines have widened existing oral health inequalities.

For substance misuse, modelled prevalence estimates of eligible young people are considerably higher than the number receiving structured treatment. This means most local need remains unmet. Among young people receiving structured treatment, starting to use substances at a young age is more common in Kent than nationally. Using more than one substance is also more common within Kent’s treatment population. Self-harm frequently co-occurs with substance misuse. Vulnerable groups including looked after children, children exposed to domestic abuse, those who self-harm, and girls continue to show particularly high prevalence and complexity of need, underlining the importance of early, targeted prevention and partnership working.

In terms of geographical variation, East Kent, Thanet, Dover, Swale, Gravesham, and Folkestone and Hythe feature across several adverse outcomes. These include substance-related need, emergency attendance, childhood weight, educational absence, diabetes admissions, and teenage pregnancy. Some measures show improvement, including declining teenage conception rates. However, county averages conceal persistent district differences.

Key Issues and themes

  • Mental health, emotional wellbeing, and social media are leading concerns for secondary school-aged pupils. Neurodivergent pupils require timely support and clearer pathways. Secondary School Aged Health Needs Assessment provides the most recent comprehensive evidence.
  • There is significant unmet need among young people with substance misuse problems. Substance Misuse among Children and Young People Health Needs Assessment supports stronger universal prevention and strategic coordination.
  • SEND identification and support vary by geography, ethnicity, age, and educational stage. SEMH needs commonly overlap with communication needs. SEND Rapid Health Needs Assessment identifies particularly high Education, Health and Care Plan rates in Swale.
  • Primary school-aged children experience inequalities involving trauma, poverty, sleep, oral health, disability, weight, and long-term conditions. Primary School Aged Health Needs Assessment identifies marked district differences in hospital use.
  • Children aged 0–4 are typically seen in isolation by a range of professionals and services, usually alongside their family but without interaction with peers. This fragmented approach limits opportunities to understand and respond to needs in a more holistic and relational way. At the same time, prevention efforts are inconsistent, compounded by reduced workforce capacity, which affects the ability to deliver early and sustained interventions. Reduced capacity particularly affects communities with greater dependency. 0–4 Year Olds in Kent Health Needs Assessment describes widening inequalities and increasing system pressure.
  • Childhood obesity reflects biological, behavioural, social, economic, and environmental influences. Lower-income children experience the greatest burden. Kent Child Weight Health Needs Assessment supports coordinated action beyond individual behaviour change.
  • Teenage conception rates have declined considerably, but inequality and district variation persist. Deprivation, educational disengagement, and vulnerability remain important. Teenage Pregnancy Needs Assessment Summary highlights continuing prevention and access needs.
  • Children living with disability are more likely to experience significant health inequalities. They are more likely to live in households characterised by low socio-economic position and poverty, to be exposed to material and psychosocial hazards such as poor housing, family instability and violence, and are less likely to have access to resources that build resilience. Definitions and measurement differences hinder prevalence estimates. Children and Young People with Disabilities supports coordinated health, education, and family assistance.
  • Children with life-limiting conditions have rising complexity and substantial hospital use. Fragmentation, workforce shortages, and unclear commissioning constrain home-based care. End of Life Care for Children and Young People records geographical and socioeconomic inequalities.

Supporting reports

  • Secondary School Aged Health Needs Assessment (2026) – Report
  • Substance Misuse among Children and Young People Health Needs Assessment (2026) – Report
  • SEND Rapid Health Needs Assessment (2025) – Report
  • Primary School Aged Health Needs Assessment (2023) – Report
  • 0–4 Year Olds in Kent Health Needs Assessment (2022) – Report
  • Kent Child Weight Health Needs Assessment (2020) – Report
  • End of Life Care for Children and Young People (2019) – Report
  • Children and Young People with Disabilities (2018) – Report
  • Emotional and Mental Health Needs Assessment for Children and Young People (2017) – Report
  • Teenage Pregnancy Needs Assessment Summary (2017) – Report
  • Health Needs Assessment of Children in Care in Kent (2015) – Report