CAMHS in the Community

If you are worried about a child in your care we would encourage you to speak to a professional that is involved with your child. This could be their teacher, school nurse or GP. They can then complete a referral into CAMHS should they need. The professionals involved will be able to offer you advice and show you what other services are available to help support you. If a referral is completed, it will then be screened by a clinician and you will be informed of the decision. If the referral is accepted into CAMHS then you will be invited to attend an initial assessment.

What happens at the first appointment?

An initial assessment is an appointment for your child and you, lasting approximately 90 minutes. The purpose of this assessment is to explore the difficulties and to decide whether our service is best placed to meet the needs of your child. During the appointment, our clinician might find it useful to speak to your child alone. You may also wish to speak to us alone. If your child is under the age of 11, please bring another adult to the appointment to supervise your child in the waiting area, whilst you speak to us.

What happens after the first appointment?

Following the assessment, possible outcomes may include:

• Recommendation to attend our workshops, which cover a variety of difficulties and coping strategies
• Recommendation for individual or group therapy
• Information about other local and national services, which might be useful to your child and you
• Advice, information and discharge from our service.

You will receive a letter and plan in the post from the clinician detailing the outcome.

What if things change?

If things get better whilst waiting for the initial assessment appointment and your child or you feel you no longer need the appointment, then please call the CAMHS Initial Assessment Team Secretary on: 0300 1111 022, Option 1, Option 3. Our phone line is open between 09:00am and 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.

If things get worse then you can call the consultation line on 0300 1111 022, option 1, option 1.

This service is available Monday to Friday between 9-5 for advice and guidance, this is not an emergency line.

Or talk to us online via CAMHS Live (available for parents/carers and young people 13-18 years) 10-4pm Monday – Friday.

If you feel your child is in a crisis or needs urgent support, contact your GP, out of hours, call 111  

If you think your child is at serious risk or they have seriously harmed themselves, then call 999 or go straight to your nearest A&E.

What services do you offer?

We offer low intensity brief interventions for children, young people and their families. The aim is to build capacity and resilience in emotional health and wellbeing, through collaborative working with professionals including schools, young people and their families. Some of the services that we offer are:

• Group work
• Direct work
• CAMHS live
• Consultation line
• Support in schools

We have a consultation line for parents and professionals for advice and guidance. This service is available every weekday from 9-5pm Call 0300 1111 022 option 1 then option 1.    

CAMHS Live is there to offer online information and advice about emotional wellbeing and mental health. The service is available for parents and carers of and young people aged 13 +. Its available Monday– Friday 10:00am- 4:30pm, excluding bank holidays.

We also provide specialist therapeutic interventions for complex mental health disorders, which may include:

• Individual therapy
• Family therapy
• Therapeutic groups
• Psychiatry assessments
• Medication prescribing and reviewing

You are a vital part in your child’s journey to recovery. We actively encourage you to take an interest to build a better understanding of their difficulties. You are part of the solution and we invite you to talk to the clinicians and agree to be part of the sessions.   This will then provide you with the tools and to help maintain the changes at home.  

What workshops do you run?

The team deliver psychoeducational workshops for children, young people and their families. They are not therapy sessions. They offer a natural and supportive learning environment to create meaningful coping strategies. They’re offered in groups with a maximum of 12 and delivered by skilled clinicians to meet the needs of your child.

It’s completely normal to feel anxious about joining a workshop and it is common for everyone to feel this way. We do encourage participation but we do not force this. You can choose to share as much or as little about yourself or your child’s difficulties.

Confidentiality in the groups is extremely important and we ask that you respect that at all times.  The workshops are here to help identify the issues surrounding your child difficulties and to help establish a positive action plan to manage those feelings, thoughts and/or behaviour.  

Who can attend a workshop?

Depending on the outcome of your child’s initial assessment, your CAMHS practitioner and you would have decided what workshop will best suit your child’s need. Some of our workshops are for parents/carers and children together, parents/carers only or child only.

If you are attending a parent/carer only workshop then two people can attend. This can be either both parents/carers, a family member or a friend. Professionals currently supporting the child cannot attend the workshop.

If the workshop is for your child and a parent/carer, then only one parent/carer can attend.

Parent/carer feedback

‘My daughter found the workshop very helpful as did I.’

‘He felt very relaxed after not wanting to come and talk about his feelings. He found 1-1 and the workshop beneficial. Understanding that his feelings are normal and other children have them and also how to deal with anxiety.’

‘I found the workshop very helpful. There were some great coping strategies which I would definitely try. It was also good to talk to other parents in the same boat.’

‘Really valuable use of time. It was helpful to hear other parent's experiences, plus the insight and advice of the course leaders was excellent. Having attended the workshop as well will give my son and me greater opportunities to communicate about his emotions. Thank you.’

Looking after you

It is important to look after your own wellbeing and mental health. It can be really hard supporting your child with their mental health difficulties. Sometimes we need to deal with our own mental health to then help support your child. If you feel you need some help and support for your own mental health then please contact:

Changing minds IAPT works with individuals who are feeling stressed, low in mood or have mild to moderate depression and/or an anxiety disorder.

Mental health navigators, the service is delivered in partnership with mind and is designed to support people experiencing difficulties with their emotional wellbeing, living conditions and physical health.

Below are some links to free workshops and online learning to help and support you.

Learn2B

Minded