Who can refer?
The first step to get help from CAMHS is a request for help. This could be made by a child or young person or their parents or carers.
Other people who could request help for a child or young person (if consent has been given) could include:
- doctors (GPs)
- social workers
- health professionals including paediatricians, school nurses and health visitors
- schools
- any other professional working with a child or young person
Consent
People aged 16 or over are entitled to consent to their own treatment. This can only be overruled in exceptional circumstances.
Information about consent for children and young people (NHS)When to refer
Just as your body can become unwell, your mind can become unwell too. And like with physical illnesses, treatment and support is available.
We provide a range of support for children and young people experiencing emotional or mental health difficulties. The type of support, assessment and treatment available may be different depending on where you live.
Our teams have a wide range of experience and skills to help meet different needs.
Mental health concerns
We can offer support for mental health concerns affecting a child or young person including:
- worry and anxiety
- low mood and depression
- obsessive compulsive disorder
- acute stress reaction and post-traumatic stress
- self-harm
- suicidal thoughts
- hearing voices or psychosis
- eating disorders or disordered eating
- behaviours that challenge in children with learning difficulties (Durham, Darlington and Tees area only)
Find more information about common mental health conditions on the NHS website.
Neurodevelopmental assessments
Our assessments for children and young people include:
Use the links above to find out more about these neurodevelopmental assessments and support.
How to refer and contact details
How you refer into our services will depend on where you live. Below you can find the contact details for our teams.
Please contact the team in your local area and ask for a referral form or pack. This could include one of the following:
- Mental health referral form
- Eating disorder referral form
- Neurodevelopmental assessment referral form or pack (North Yorkshire, York and Selby only)
County Durham CAMHS
To contact the team, call 0300 1239296.
Or email [email protected].
North Yorkshire, York and Selby CAMHS
To contact the team, call 0300 0134 778.
Or email [email protected].
Darlington, Stockton and Hartlepool area CAMHS
To contact the team, call 0300 2000 000 option 1.
Or email [email protected] (for North Tees – Stockton and Hartlepool area).
Middlesbrough and Redcar CAMHS
To contact the team, call 0300 2000 000 option 2.
Or email [email protected].
After you’ve completed a referral form
When you’ve completed a referral form, we will share it with the relevant team. They will look at your referral to understand what is happening.
While you’re waiting
You may want to find out more about what to expect from CAMHS in our guide to CAMHS while you’re waiting to hear from us.
You can also access self-help resources for young people or self-help resources for parents and carers.
If a child or young person is in a mental health crisis, please access information about our children’s crisis service.
