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Introduction
How can we help?
The next steps
Useful resources
Introduction
The Child and Adolescent Mental Health service (CAMHS) offers specialist advice and assessment to young people whilst also offering support for children, their families and carers. Children and young people can often be troubled by emotional, behavioural and mental health problems. This can cause worry and distress to both themselves and those who care for them.
If you are concerned about your child’s mental health, please contact the duty doctor at your medical centre.
How can we help?
After we receive the referral from your GP or Community Paediatrics, we will be in contact to arrange an assessment. This is an opportunity for us to gather information and to decide together what support is required. We will ask you to complete a confidential online questionnaire, the Developmental and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA) to ensure we have a full understanding of the issues.
We would also recommend you talk to your child and prepare them for the assessment and reassure them that the meeting is about getting to know them and to explore what is troubling them. Parents sometimes find it helpful to write down questions or concerns in preparation to the meeting.
During the assessment the CAMHS nurse will ask you questions about the child’s interests and strengths. They will also talk about the child’s/ families worries or concerns they may have regarding the child’s current situation or well-being. There will be plenty of opportunity for you to ask us questions too.
Usually, the nurse will also ask to chat with the child and parent individually, this can be important to allow conversation that maybe difficult to share. Normally we ask for agreement to request information from the class teacher too.
You will receive some feedback after the assessment, although often staff will need to discuss in the CAMHS team meeting before agreeing next steps.
The Next Steps
After the assessment you will be contacted to discuss the next steps.
There are several possible outcomes:
- The assessment offered clarification therefore no further intervention will be required.
- Another service will be more suitable at this point, or we would suggest CAMHS working alongside another service.
- CAMHS intervention is required.
The intervention can be part of a continued assessment or treatment. Some examples of treatment include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Behavioural Therapy or medication.
How you can access the service
CAMHS operates on a referral system. For a referral to this service please seek advice from your GP at your local Medical Centre.
View our Welcome Pack for young people, parents and carers here:
Useful Resources
There are many online sources of information that you may find useful. Our CAMHS Team would recommend the following resources:
Kooth.com/mod
A free, safe and anonymous digital mental health and wellbeing service that provides access to support year-round for young people living overseas within the military community.
Watch this 5 minute video to find out more about Kooth and how it might support your child:
Young Minds
The Young Minds resources library is full of useful toolkits, publications, reports and policy information about children and young people's mental health.
The Mix
The Mix provides free information and support for under 25s. Get advice about sex, relationships, drugs, mental health, money and jobs.
MeeTwo
MeeTwo is an award winning free fully moderated app for young people, which provides peer support, expert help, inbuilt educational and creative resources as well as in app links to UK charities and helplines. MeeTwo is a neutral space which allows young people to experiment with what it feels like to open up without drawing attention to themselves - while positive feedback and social support builds confidence, increases wellbeing and promotes emotional resilience.
MindEd
MindEd is a free online education website designed to help adults identify and understand children and young people with mental health issues. Many adults in regular contact with children and young people have little or no idea how to recognise or respond to emotional or behavioural problems. This website offers help and guidance.