ts of the pandemic on children’s emotional and mental health, their development and educational attainment (Education Endowment Foundation, 2022; Milanovic et al., 2023). References were made to ‘cumulative hidden harm’, stemming from the lockdown periods, with young children showing developmental delays, delayed speech and language, the breaking of societal norms around school attendance and challenging behaviours in school with an increase in exclusions and suspensions as a result (Powell et al., 2024). Families were described as less resilient than prior to the pandemic, leading to higher numbers of family breakdowns and children unable to remain living in family homes. This 709 903 1018 1630 0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2017–18 2019–20 2021–22 2023–24 Phase 6 Phase 7 Phase 8 Phase 9 17 included breakdowns involving children who had previously been adopted or placed on special guardianship orders. Many DCSs and survey respondents pointed to increased numbers of parents who were socially isolated and unable to call on others for respite or support, leading to increased stress levels and impacting on parental functioning. 2.5 Increasing prevalence of poor mental health Poverty and financial vulnerability are associated with reduced mental health for both parents and children. Children from the poorest 20% of households are four times as likely to have serious mental health difficulties by the age of 11 as those from the wealthiest 20% (Morrison Gutman et al., 2015; Treanor, 2016). Lord Darzi’s independent investigation concluded that the NHS is in crisis and that children’s health, particularly their mental health, is suffering as a result (DHSC, 2024). CQC’s state of heath care report cited data that in 2023, one in five children and young people be