Parents and carers
What is CAMHS?
CAMHS stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. These are NHS services, which in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are run by Nottinghamshire Healthcare.
We offer support and treatment for children aged 0 – 18 years who have emotional and/or mental health problems.
How to get help?
If you are the parent or carer for a young person aged 0 to 18 years old with a Nottinghamshire GP, you can refer on their behalf to CAMHS. This means that you can directly approach our team to ask for help.
- Help in a crisis: 0808 196 3779 option 1 and it is open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
- CAMHS Crisis number: 0115 844 0560
You will speak to a specially trained professional who will ask you some questions and talk to you about how they can help. If you prefer, you can ask for help by completing an online referral form.
If you prefer you can speak to your GP or school health nurse who can get in touch with us by calling or writing to us. Any other professional who works with your child / young person like a social worker, counsellor or youth worker can also contact us to find out how we can help you.
Who works at CAMHS?
Most children who get help from CAMHS will see one of our community outpatient teams. The Nottinghamshire community outpatient teams are made up of lots of different professionals, including family therapists, CAMHS social workers, family support workers, mental health practitioners, associate mental health practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists or art psychotherapists.
What happens next?
Professionals in CAMHS work together with children and young people to try to overcome their difficulties through evidence-based treatments (treatment that has been researched and found to be helpful). Together, we will create some goals and keep track of how your child is doing to make sure the support is helping. There are regular reviews to think about treatment options.
Children and young people may require different types of treatment depending on their age and developmental stage.
What else does CAMHS do?
Some smaller teams offer specific treatments for difficulties such as eating disorders, substance misuse, psychosis or an intellectual disability. These are known as specialist teams.
Support
There is a range of support available for parents and carers of children and young people using our services. This includes support groups and information sessions provided by some of our Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) services and online resources.
Non-Violent Resistance (NVR) Parenting Programme
This programme helps parents regain their ability to parent in a calm and confident manner. It can help develop a support network to stop violent, destructive or risky behaviours both in and out of the home and can help to improve relationships between family members. Topics discussed include de-escalating conflict, increasing parental presence and taking a firm stand against unacceptable behaviour within the family. The programme consists of eight sessions, which last for two hours. We will offer this to you if we think it would be helpful.
Parent/carer of young people who self-harm information sessions
These information and support evenings provide an opportunity to meet with other parents and carers to share experiences and find out more about self-harm. The sessions are held every other month on a Tuesday at 6.30pm – 8.30pm at Hopewood, Foster Drive, Nottingham, NG5 3FL. For forthcoming dates and to book a place please speak to the CAMHS lead professional for your child or young person.
Online resources
Young Minds has a lot of useful information about children and young people’s mental health conditions and also the types of support available for parents or carers. They also provide a free, confidential online and telephone support service ‘Parents Helpline’.
MindED for Families provides online advice and information to help parents and carers understand and identify early issues to best support their child or young person.
Free mental health webinars from the Charlie Waller Trust
Health for Teens | Nottinghamshire
Local mental health advice and help for young people in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, all in one place.
Support Groups - Nottingham / Nottinghamshire Carers Hub Service (carersfederation.co.uk)
If you are concerned about your own mental health and wellbeing please speak to your GP or visit Nottinghamshire Talking Therapies (notts-talk.co.uk) .
Parenting Mental Health | Home
Children's centre service | Nottinghamshire County Council
Healthy Family Teams | Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Carers’ information and assessment
We have lots of useful information for families and carers on our website, this includes the different help and support that is available and how to arrange for a carers' assessment. Visit the families and carers support and information section.
Get involved
We are committed to involving people in our work and using their experiences and their views to improve our services and most importantly, improve people’s lives. Find out more about the different ways that you can get involved and help to influence our services.
Did you know there are volunteering and involvement opportunities in CAMHS? Here's one parent's experience:
Involvement through volunteering, project work and co-production is of benefit to everyone involved. I would encourage anyone with an interest in giving up a little time to help support CAMHS to get in touch with the Involvement Team and find out what projects are currently running. I feel we all have a responsibility to contribute whatever we can, however small, to improve and work towards excellence for the future services our children will inherit.
Printable resources
Family Ambassadors Information sheet
The programme supports a parental rights-based approach and is designed to ensure that, wherever possible, no decision about a child’s care is made without their involvement.
- Help: Help to improve the quality of care that children and young people receive within mental health
inpatient services - Welcoming: Be a welcoming and friendly face to parents, carers, advocates and families whose young people are admitted to designated units.
- Communication: Help to improve the support families and carers receive when their child is being admitted into services, alongside clinicians and other stakeholders through effective and inclusive communication.
- Empower: Empower parents and carers to be seen, heard and involved.
- Support: Support parents and carers to understand the inpatient system and processes.
- Listen: Enable parents and carers to raise concerns where necessary and take action to escalate those concerns if necessary.
- Encourage: Encourage parents, carers and families to plan for a future beyond their child’s mental health illness.
Download a copy of our Family Ambassadors Information sheet.
Young Carers Notts
Free and confidential support for young carers in Nottinghamshire and the City of Nottingham.
Young Carers Notts is for young carers age 5-17. We offer group sessions, short breaks, social opportunities with other young carers, fun activities, and practical advice about caring for someone.
Young Carers Notts also helps those working with young people to increase identification of young carers and promote the support available.
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