The Youth Endowment Fund has published its annual Beyond the Headlines report, tracking key trends in violence affecting children and young people across England and Wales. While the headline figures show improvement, the report highlights a growing and underreported problem of violence against young women and girls.
- Across the three core measures of violence, all show improvement: homicides among 16 to 24 year olds fell by 41%, hospital admissions for knife assault among under-17s fell by 20%, and cautions and convictions of children for violent offences fell by 3%
- However, children arrested for sexual offences reached 3,809 in 2024/25, an 18% increase on the previous year and 74% higher than pre-Covid levels, with boys accounting for 98% of those arrested
- Black children remain significantly overrepresented in custody, accounting for 22% of those in custody in 2024/25 despite making up around 6% of 10 to 17 year olds in England and Wales
- Over 1.2 million children were referred to NHS-funded mental health, learning disability and autism services in 2024/25, a 7% increase on the previous year and more than double the number in 2016/17
- Spending on youth services fell again in 2024/25 to £475 million in real terms, 44% lower than in 2014/15, with the report warning that sustaining progress will require continued investment in services that evidence shows make the biggest difference