Northallerton Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

Address:
North Moor House
North Moor Road,
Northallerton
North Yorkshire
DL6 2FG

Getting here

Northallerton CAMHS is positioned between the A167 and A684 along North Moor Road.

Phone: 01609 718810
Email: [email protected]
Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

What is CAMHS?

CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.

Our team is made up of a range of trained professionals, from different backgrounds, specialties, and life experiences. We work closely together to provide the best possible care for every child/young person and family in our service.

Our team includes:

• Team Manager
• Advanced Practitioner
• Clinical Nurse Specialist
• CAMHS Clinicians
• Psychiatrists
• Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist
• Psychologists
• Assistant psychologists
• Support Workers
• Clinical Associate Practitioners
• Admin staff
• Trainees

Who we help in CAMHS?

Our service offers individual therapy and groups to children and young people, up to the age of their 18^th birthday, who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health problems. Children and young people may be struggling with how they feel about themselves which may affect their relationships and ability to do things they enjoy. They may be feeling very low, worried, anxious, hurting themselves and/or having thoughts of not wanting to be here.

CAMHS undertake Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessments when there is enough evidence from parents and schools/other professionals. Our service also provides medication for young people with ADHD or severe mental health problems, if deemed appropriate. Please note that medication for mental health difficulties is only considered after a therapeutic route is initially explored, as per NICE guidelines.

How can CAMHS help?

CAMHS workers work alongside the family by teaching children, young people and their parent(s)/carer(s) skills to help the child/young person to maintain a positive mental health. In the first CAMHS meeting/s, the CAMHS worker will help the child/young person to identify what mental health difficulty they are struggling with, agree on the goals they want to achieve and the most appropriate intervention/therapy. Our interventions are evidence based and mostly talking therapies.

Therapy is time-limited meaning a specific number of sessions are provided with an ending e.g., 4-12 sessions. It is a process where we work together to change how the child/young person feels about themselves, so this means they will need to be committed to attend sessions and complete out of session work. Depending on the child/young person’s goals, we offer individual and group sessions.

What CAMHS does not offer

There are services that CAMHS do not offer. For instance: 

• If families are mostly struggling with communicating with each other and need support in the home, then we would signpost families to Early Help/Social Care (Contact details can be found on https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/early-help).
• Children/young people are unsafe in the family home, we would discuss these concerns with Children services.
• If children and young people’s difficulties are related to education and they require more support to help them, we would encourage the family to liaise with school/college. Please note that CAMHS does not make recommendations for types of support in education and home schooling. CAMHS also do not apply for educational health care plans.
  • The Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) are best placed at helping parents/carers with support with difficulties in schools and applications for Educational Health Care Plans. SENDIASS contact details are 01609 536923, [email protected]
• CAMHS does not offer post diagnostic support for children and young people with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition. They also do not complete sensory processing assessments.
• CAMHS does not provide positive behaviour support (behaviour interventions) for children and young people with a learning disability. They also do not complete assessments to identify if children/ or young people have a learning disability. You can self-refer to the Children’s Community Learning Disability Nursing Team using their website https://hdft.nhs.uk.
• If children and young people are struggling with their emotional well-being when in school/college, then they may be directed to the Wellbeing in Mind team that support in education or pastoral support within their education facility.
• Please note that CAMHS do not offer a counselling service. Children and young people would need a specific focus for their work in CAMHS. Most interventions are short term e.g., 4-12 sessions.

Other resources you may find helpful:

• https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/resources/
• https://www.autism.org.uk/
• https://www.autismcentral.org.uk/who-we-are
• https://www.youngminds.org.uk/
• https://www.recoverycollegeonline.co.uk/
• https://www.daisychainproject.co.uk/
• https://thegoto.org.uk/
• https://www.samaritans.org/
• https://www.childline.org.uk/
• National Sleep Helpline: 03303 530 541

How is a CAMHS referral processed?  

Referrals for children and young people can be made by parents or professionals. These are then processed by the Single Point of Access Team. When they receive the referral, the team review the information and may call the family to check if CAMHS is the best service for what they are asking. This call is called ‘an access to service call’. If they believe that CAMHS may be the most appropriate service, they arrange a first meeting with the child/young person, parent(s)/carer(s) and a CAMHS worker.

The first meeting is also known as Initial Comprehensive Assessments (ICA). In this meeting the CAMHS worker gathers more information to understand what the child/young person is experiencing, if CAMHS are the right service to support, and if so, what type of assessment/intervention will be offered.

Arriving at Northallerton CAMHS

Northallerton CAMHS has free parking. Parking is signposted around North Moor House.

When families arrive at North Moor House, they should let the receptionist know they have arrived.

Once inside they will see the waiting room and receptionist.

The receptionist will ask the child/young person’s name and let the CAMHS worker know that they have arrived. Please take a seat until your worker has arrived.

When it is time for their appointment, the CAMHS worker will take the family to a room that may look like this.

What might be discussed in the first meeting (Initial Comprehensive Assessment)  

A CAMHS first meeting (ICA) lasts up to 90 minutes. Children and young people can ask for a break in between if they feel that would help. A shorter meeting can also be arranged. Parents/carers should attend this meeting with the child/young person to help answer some of the questions.

In the first meeting/s, the CAMHS worker will spend time with the child/young person and their parent (s)/carer(s) together and separately.

They will ask the child and young person the following questions:

• What is bothering them the most and what they would like to change.
• What thoughts they have about themselves and others.
• What they think makes their situations better and worse
• How they have been trying to help themselves.
• Their home life, school, hobbies, sleep, and diet.
• The important relationships in their life and who else is involved in their care.
• Their experiences of growing up and their family.

The CAMHS worker will also ask if the child/young person has thoughts or intend to hurt themselves or end their life and if they and others around them are safe. This is important so we make sure that the child/young person and their family are safe.

If the first appointment is about gathering evidence for an ADHD assessment, the CAMHS worker will ask questions about how the child/young person presents at home and school. The CAMHS worker will ask for the questionnaires that were sent with the appointment letter. 

If parent(s)/carer(s)/children or young people feel that CAMHS are not the best service to help them with what they are struggling with, and do not want to attend your first meeting with us, then they should contact Northallerton CAMHS on 01609 718810 or email on [email protected] to cancel their appointment.

If parent(s)/carer(s) feel they are unable to keep their child/young person safe whilst they wait for their CAMHS meeting, then they should call CAMHS Crisis Team on 0800 0516 171, this service is available 24/7, or if in need of immediate medical attention take the child/young person to A&E.