You will need to complete our CAMHS Referral form. This will enable us to decide how best to help the family. It may be useful for you to have in mind some of the following questions whilst filling in the form:
- What are the current concerns or problems?
- What are the triggers for seeking help at this time?
- How long has the problem existed, how severe is it, and how does it impact on the child/young person's familty, education and work?
- What are the relevant psychosocial and family issues including who is in the family or important people in the kinship system? Who are the other agencies involved?
- What has been the response to previous attempts to help?
- Are the child/young person/family aware of and consenting to the referral? What is the family's motivation to seek help?
- Are there any identified risks?
- What continued involvement will you have with the family?
- Are there service access issues like language and disability?
What happens next?
All referrals are screened by the duty clinician on receipt to decide on appropriateness and how quickly the child/young person and family need to be seen. We will contact the referrer if more information is needed to decide how quickly to respond. The response time will depend on the severity of the problem the young person is facing.
It may be decided that the young person can receive more relevant support from another service. Alternatively, it may be decided that CAMHS input may be appropriate and the young person will be allocated to an appropriate clinician and team. In both situations we will let both the referrer and the family know the decision made.
Age range
CAMHS welcomes referrals of children and young people up until their 18th birthday.
