JSNA – People – CYP Self-harm Needs Assessment

Last Updated: October 2025

Plain Language Summary

This report looks at self-harm in children and young people in Barnet, aged 0–25. It tries to understand:

• How many young people are self-harming
• Which young people are more likely to self-harm
• Why self-harm happens
• What support is available
• How to improve support

How common is self-harm in Barnet?
Self-harm has become more common among young people in Barnet in the past few years.
More children and young people are going to hospitals or other services for help with self-harm
than in the past. There are likely to also be young people in the community who are self-harming
and not using services, which makes it hard to know exactly how many young people are
affected by self-harm.

Which young people in Barnet might be more likely to self-harm?

• Girls, especially those aged 15-19
• Young people with mental health difficulties
• LGBTQIA+ young people
• Young people who are autistic or who have ADHD
• Children in care

What makes it hard for young people to get help with self-harm?

• They feel scared or ashamed to talk about self-harm
• Families don’t always know where to go for help or what to say
• Schools don’t always have enough staff or time to support young people with their
  mental health or learning needs
• Long waiting times for mental health services
• The support offered doesn’t always work for the young person
• There aren’t enough places to get help in the community
• Young people often have to go to Accident & Emergency (A&E) with self-harm, even
  when it’s not the best place for them
• The mental health support available may change when young people turn 18
• Children in care don’t always get the support they need
• Some adults who work with young people don’t feel confident or trained enough help
  with self-harm

What does this report recommend?
This report gives ideas on how to better support young people with self-harm. Here are the main
suggestions:

• Work together: Mental health services, schools, and families should work as a team
• Better data: Collect more information to understand who needs help
• Start early: Teach children about emotions and mental health from a young age
• Support in schools: Help schools support students with mental health needs and
  learning needs
• Easier access to help: Make it quicker and simpler to get the right mental health
  support
• Help for families: Give parents and carers advice and emotional support
• Training and information: Make sure adults working with young people know what to
  say and make sure young people and families have the information they need

This report also says a group should be set up to work on these suggestions. The group should
involve professionals, young people and families. The group will need to decide which of these
suggestions are the most important and achievable.