Action for Children is warning adolescence is increasingly becoming a major pressure point for families as vital support often ends once children reach their teenage years.
It comes as the charity’s Parent Talk service marks five years of operation, with its latest report showing that 40% (651 cases) of parents of 10–15-year-olds accessing one-to-one support in 2025/26 raised concerns about their own wellbeing, compared with 28% (351 cases) in 2022/23. Among those parents, more than eight in 10 (82%) also raised concerns about their child’s wellbeing.
Children aged 10-15 years old today were in primary school during the pandemic. They now face navigating adolescence amid continuing pressures around school attendance, SEND provision and mental health support. Frontline staff also say the rise in parental burnout is linked to a growing support gap for parents of older children and teenagers.
The report identifies secondary school transition as a particular pressure point, with many families losing established support networks just as children’s needs become more complex.