Quarter of 14-year-old girls admit to 'self-harming’

A new report examining the state of children's wellbeing in the UK has found that nearly a quarter of girls in the UK have self-harmed.

The Children's Society report, which is based on the responses of 11,000 children in the UK, claims that 22 per cent of girls and nine per cent of boys have hurt themselves on purpose in the year prior to the questionnaire, with the rates of self-harm worse among those who were attracted to people of the same or both genders.

The charity estimates that 109,000 children aged 14 may have self-harmed across the UK during the 12-month period in 2015, likely to be close to 76,000 girls and 33,000 boys.

The NSPCC says common reasons for self-harming include: depression, bullying, pressure at school, emotional abuse, grieving and having relationship problems with family or friends.

Matthew Reed, chief executive at The Children's Society, said: "It is deeply worrying that so many children are unhappy to the extent that they are self-harming. Worries about how they look are a big issue, especially for girls, but this report shows other factors such as how they feel about their sexuality and gender stereotypes may be linked to their unhappiness."

Roy Perry, vice Chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “These alarming figures reinforce the urgent need to tackle the crisis in children’s mental health. This is why we are calling for councils and schools to be given the funding to offer independent mental health counselling so pupils have access to support as and when they need it.

“Councils across the country work hard to ensure children and young people can access the support they need, however with children’s services facing a £3 billion funding gap by 2025, this is getting increasingly difficult. Many councils are being forced to cut early intervention work, including youth services, which helps children avoid reaching crisis point, perform better at school and avoid mental health issues in later life.

“Making sure children get the mental health support they need, when they need it, requires a root-and-branch overhaul of existing services. We need to develop a system that says yes, rather than no, to children when they ask for help. Government should also release the £1.7 billion promised for CAMHS services to ensure adequate and sustainable funding for local areas.”