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The Hidden Crisis in Wales: Why So Many Children Are Struggling with Mental Health and Bullying

By Steph Shobiye ALN Wales

 

The Hidden Crisis in Wales: Why So Many Children Are Struggling with Mental Health and Bullying



Learn Without Limits CIC – November 2025

A major national study released this week paints a stark and heartbreaking picture of childhood in Wales. Behind closed doors, many children are carrying silent emotional distress; anxiety, loneliness, low confidence and bullying, with very little visibility in their daily school lives.

For thousands of Welsh parents, this article is not surprising.
It is confirmation of what they have been saying for a long time, and sharing with us as we build our ALN app.

What follows is a deeper examination of why this crisis has arisen and what Wales must do next.

1. Why does this crisis run deeper in Wales than headlines suggest

Wales faces significant additional pressures that intensify children’s emotional struggles:

  • long waits for assessments

  • lack of specialist provision

  • Reduced therapeutic support

  • staff shortages in health, social care, and education

  • sensory overwhelm in many mainstream settings

  • rising online risks and peer pressure

  • Inconsistent anti-bullying responses across schools

When services stretch thin, distress goes underground.
Children become quieter — not because they are coping, but because they do not feel safe enough to speak.

2. Concealed distress: when children mask until they break

One of the most worrying findings in the new research is the rise in concealed distress.

This is exactly what ALN parents across Wales report to us:

Masking is a survival strategy.
But it comes at enormous emotional cost.

3. Unmet ALN needs and the decline in mental health

When Additional Learning Needs go unidentified or unsupported, mental health naturally deteriorates.

Across Wales, we see:

The research reflects precisely what our community has been saying for years.
Children’s distress grows in the blind spots of the system.

4. Bullying in Wales: the hidden reality

Parents describe the same patterns repeatedly:

“They said there was no evidence.”
“They said it was friendship drama.”
“They said my child was too sensitive.”

Bullying of ALN children often presents in subtle, hard-to-detect ways:

Children often stay silent because they fear retaliation or feel they will not be believed.

Silence is not safety.
Silence is distress.

5. Wales after the pandemic: an emotional shock still unfolding

The pandemic changed everything.
And the emotional consequences are still being felt.

Common patterns include:

Meanwhile:

  • paediatric waiting lists exploded

  • mental health thresholds rose

  • children aged out without ever being seen

  • staff had no additional resources

We are living with a prolonged emotional aftershock.

6. When parents speak, but no one listens

Across Wales, parents describe a familiar chain of events:

  • early concerns dismissed

  • anxiety treated as behaviour

  • bullying minimised

  • assessment delayed

  • support inconsistent or unavailable

Families are left carrying the entire burden.

You are not imagining it.
You are not the problem.
And you are not alone.

7. What parents can do today

Quick signs your child may be struggling silently

Three things you can do right now

  1. Use the one to ten feelings scale
    Ask: “How strong is this feeling today?”

  2. Keep a simple diary of worries
    It helps track hidden patterns.

  3. Reach out early
    Contact your school’s ALNCO or GP even if your child masks.

8. What Welsh schools can do tomorrow

Immediate improvements that cost little but change everything

Schools do not need perfection.
They need consistency and compassion.

9. Why this matters for Welsh policy and practice

Wales cannot close the attainment gap, improve attendance, or deliver genuine equity without addressing the emotional well-being crisis.
The evidence is clear: when children feel safe, supported and understood, everything improves — learning, attendance, behaviour and long-term outcomes.

Investing in ALN recognition, trauma-informed practice, and early mental health intervention is not optional.
It is essential.

10. Recommended resources for children and young people

Ages 4 to 7

Ages 7 to 11

Ages 11 to 16

Ages 16 plus

Ages 18 plus

11. A note on Welsh libraries

Welsh council libraries are known for being responsive to book requests.
Families who home educate often rely on local libraries to access high-quality resources without the high cost.

If any of the titles we recommend are unavailable, we encourage you to politely ask your library to order them.
This benefits your child and every child who borrows after you.

12. Parent helplines

13. Sources and Welsh research links

National and academic

Welsh third sector

Internal Learn Without Limits CIC evidence

  • ALN parent case patterns across Wales

  • Community discussions from our support group

  • Themes from Release 2 and Release 3 ALN pathway development

14. Welsh bilingual resource list

Adnoddau Llesiant i Blant a Phobl Ifanc

Wellbeing Resources for Children and Young People

Oedran 4 i 7

Little Parachutes: https://www.littleparachutes.com/

Oedran 7 i 11

ThinkNinja: https://www.healios.org.uk/services/thinkninja
BBC Own It: https://www.bbc.com/ownit
Confidence Kids: https://www.confidencekids.co.uk/freebies

Oedran 11 i 16

Kooth: https://www.kooth.com
Young Minds: https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person
Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/meditation/kids
The Mix: https://www.themix.org.uk/

Oedran 16 plus

Togetherall: https://togetherall.com/en-gb
Mind Cymru: https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/mind-cymru
Student Space: https://studentspace.org.uk

Oedran 18 plus

Talking Therapies Wales: https://lowtherthegap.wales.nhs.uk
Papyrus: https://www.papyrus-uk.org
CALM: https://www.thecalmzone.net
Heads Above The Waves: https://hatw.co.uk/

15. Closing bilingual emotional line

(This boosts emotional impact with Welsh readers)

Mae ein plant yn haeddu teimlo’n ddiogel ac yn cael eu clywed.
Our children deserve to feel safe and heard.

16. Call to action

If this reflects your family’s experience, please share this article so more parents across Wales know they are not alone.
You can also explore more free ALN support tools on our website:

https://learnwithoutlimitscic.org



Learn Without Limits CIC
Supporting children, families and futures across Wales
Website: https://learnwithoutlimitscic.org

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