NHS Lothian currently provides Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services to children and young people from birth to eighteen years of age.
For referrals in those children under the age of five years we find it is best to meet with the Health Visitor, Public Health or School Nurse in the first instance and we offer regular consultation sessions for colleagues in primary care.
How do I (or my child) get referred?
Referrals usually come from general practitioners, health visitors, social workers or from schools. They need to ask your permission before contacting us. You can also ask your family doctor or school doctor if you would like your child to be referred to our team.
Please note, for West Lothian, referrals from education go to the multi-agency Children and Young Peoples Team (cypt@westlothian.gov.uk).
What should I expect when I (or my child) is referred?
You will be sent a letter asking you to contact the CAMHS outpatient team in your area to arrange an initial choice appointment. Typically, these appointments take place in a clinic setting, however, your first appointment with CAMHS may be over the telephone, via Video Conferencing (NHS Near Me) or in person at one of our outpatient clinics.
What happens when we meet?
The first appointment will take about an hour to an hour and a half and will aim to:
- gain a shared understanding on your concerns and current difficulties and strengths
- give you some information about CAMHS
- think about a range of services and interventions that may be available to you, and whether CAMHS or another service are the best service to help you
- give you some ideas of things you can try at home to improve things yourself
- come to an agreed plan between you and the team for the way forward.
During this appointment we will discuss the options available via CAMHS for treatment. This may include 1:1 work with a clinician, or where appropriate a group-based therapy or access to treatment using supported and self-directed digital platforms. Treatment may be face-to-face, or via NearMe video platform. If you decline an offer of treatment, you could be discharged from CAMHS, or have a longer wait for treatment.
You can choose who to bring with you, but it’s important that the team meets with the child or young person who is referred. If you have any questions before your initial appointment, please telephone the appropriate team (contact details for each team are available on the Outpatient Teams page) and they will be happy to help you. If you require an interpreter to join for your appointment, please let the CAMHS team in your area know.
Please keep in mind that there is a waiting list for choice appointments.
Please see our leaflet explaining Confidentiality within CAMHS for Families and young people. This leaflet can be provided and discussed further at the first appointment with CAMHS. The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland have also provided guidance on good practice guide to help carers, families, and practitioners understand consent, confidentiality, and sharing of information for people with mental illness, learning disability, or other related conditions: https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/news/new-guidance-published-carers-and-confidentiality.
What happens next?
If after meeting together, it is agreed that further input from CAMHS is needed, then you (or your child) will be added to the waiting list for treatment or specialist assessment in CAMHS, or signposted to other resources or services in the community that are more likely to be helpful.
After the appointment, the team will write to you and the person who referred you, with a summary of the discussion, initial goals and a clear plan. We will always write to your GP even if the GP is not the person who has referred you. With your permission, the team can also write to school and other professionals providing support, so that they can use this information to plan and provide support as needed.
Please keep in mind that there is a waiting list for all CAMHS teams.
If you cannot attend an appointment
If you cannot attend an arranged/planned appointment, please contact your local team as soon as you can to reschedule. Please note, if you do not attend (DNA) an appointment without letting us know, CAMHS will not routinely offer a further outpatient appointment, and you will be discharged from the service.
Due to the number of children and young people waiting to be seen, CAMHS need to use appointments as well as possible. If you cancel a number of appointments then the service may need to discharge you, so please make every effort to attend appointments. This will mean your treatment goals are likely to be achieved sooner and will also mean children and young people waiting for appointments can be seen sooner.
