Surrey Camhs

What can I do in an emergency?

Where can I get help or advice?

You can call our professional’s advisory line for help and advice with any concerns you may have. Our Primary Mental Health Worker teams will be able to advise you on the child or young person you are working with and tell you whether the case should be referred. You can also speak to our PMHW team about the training we offer, which enables you to deal with mental health problems from the outset.

Can I deal with the problem myself?

Please see worried about a child to see what you can do help a child or young person in the first instance. If you think that the problem is more serious and cannot be dealt with by you or your colleagues, please call our advisory line and discuss your concerns with a Primary Mental Health Worker who will be able to help you.

How do I refer?

A referral is made by completing a CAMHS referral form. However, in the first instance you should contact our advisory lines to discuss your concerns with a Primary Mental Health Worker. They can advise you and talk through the case in more detail.

How do I know whether I should refer?

What is the tier structure?

CAMHS professionals and associated partners are organised into a structure comprising four tiers.

Tier 1

This tier comprises contact with professionals who are not necessarily employed for the prime purpose of promoting mental health, but who directly and indirectly influence the mental health of children through their work with them eg. Health visitors, school teachers, social workers, GPs.

Tier 2

Individual specialist mental health workers, who work with children, adolescents and their families with mild to moderate difficulties.

Tier 3

Services that are more specialised and deal with complex problems. In this tier, members of multi-disciplinary mental health services often work in therapeutic teams so that the co-ordinated interventions of several professionals can be used to help children with moderate to severe problems.

Tier 4

This tier provides for highly specific and complex
problems that require considerable resources, e.g. in-patient psychiatric provision, secure
provision, very specialised services.

What other services are available to me in Surrey?

We work with a number of partner organisations across the county. See the about us page for details.

How long will the referral process take? How soon can you see the child?
We aim to see all referrals within nine weeks, except in emergency cases.

I have made a referral, now what?

Make sure that you keep in contact with the child and the family. Be aware of any change in circumstances that might affect the referral. For example, if things change and you start to get very concerned about the child please contact us. We try to minimise the wait for an appointment, but we rely on you to let us know if the situation becomes serious. If the young person is anxious about their first appointment, direct them to the child and young person section of this site where they can hear experiences of other CAMHS users. We are also working on a DVD which has been produced by young people to reassure other children and young people about coming to CAMHS.

Will I be kept in the loop about the treatment?

What can I do in my school / youth group to promote positive mental health?
There are lots of things you can do to promote positive emotional well-being with the children and young people you work with. CAMHS runs an annual emotional health awareness event called Feeling Good Week. This takes place every July and over 100 schools and youth groups sign up to get involved in it every year. This is just one of the ways you can get involved. We also run an annual competition to recognise those schools who have led the way in promoting emotional well-being. Read the case studies to get some ideas.

Are there any leaflets or factsheets available?

We have leaflets and factsheets available on CAMHS and specific mental health conditions. If we don’t have a leaflet, we can point you in the direction of national organisations. Contact the CAMHS communications team by emailing camhs@surreycc.gov.uk or phone 020 8541 7760 for all literature requests.

I work with a child / young person in Surrey but they live outside the county, what can I do to help them?

Find out which area they are in and contact the local CAMHS in that area. We can only deal with cases in Surrey.

Does CAMHS do any work around infant mental health?

Yes, the Parent-Infant Mental Health (PIMH) service is a specialised service that aims to ensure every child has the best possible start in life; this is achieved by offering early intervention to parents who are identified as being at risk of poor attachment with their infant. The service is a Surrey-wide initiative and is funded and delivered through the partnership of community health, CAMHS, early years and social care. The service also offers a five week infant massage group which is therapeutic and also helps to improve relationships between infants and their parents or care givers.

The children I work with have very specific issues around bereavement or caring for adult with a mental illness, how can I help them?

We work closely with organisations like Surrey Young Carers, which can help you with these particular issues. They provide advice, information and training, where possible for professionals working with children in these areas.
See www.surrey-youngcarers.org.uk for more information.