Social, Emotional and Mental Health
From SEND Code of Practice:
6.32 Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.
What is CAMHS?
CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
CAMHS is the name for the NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.
How to ask for support from CAMHS
The first step to getting help from CAMHS is usually that you will be referred for a CAMHS assessment. This referral can come from parents / carers, a teacher, GP, or the child / young person themselves if they are old enough.
What happens at a CAMHS Assessment?
After the child / young person has been referred, they will be put on a waiting list for an initial appointment, often known as an ‘assessment’.
At this appointment, the child / young person will normally meet one or two members of the CAMHS team. If the child / young person is under 16 years old, their parent(s) or carer(s) will usually be invited to join for part of the meeting.
This appointment will generally take place at a CAMHS clinic. But, in some circumstances, they may meet with the child / young person at their school or home.
When the child / young person meets with a member of the CAMHS team they will ask questions to help them gain an understanding of what support is needed.
Information for Parents / Carers
Parents / Carers - Follow the link in the title above to find out more information about CAMHS and the support that they can offer children and young people.
Follow the link to the NHS website in the title above.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse .
Symptoms of ADHD tend to be noticed at an early age and may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as when they start school.
Most cases are diagnosed when children are 6 to 12 years old.
The symptoms of ADHD usually improve with age, but many adults who were diagnosed with the condition at a young age continue to experience problems.
People with ADHD may also have additional problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.