When a child in your care needs mental health help, time matters. As carers, you’re often the first to notice changes—sleep problems, school refusal, panic, low mood, self-harm risks, or eating difficulties. This guide shows practical, UK-specific routes to quicker help from CAMHS (CYPMHS) and allied health services, what to do in a crisis, and how to keep things moving while you wait.
First line: triage quickly and use all entry points
You don’t have to wait for one “perfect” door. In most areas there are multiple ways in:
- Speak to the GP for a mental health assessment and referral. GPs can escalate risk, prescribe where appropriate, and attach history that helps triage.
- Use school routes: the SENCO, pastoral team, or school nurse can refer or involve a Mental Health Support Team (MHST) where available. MHSTs deliver brief, evidence-based help for common difficulties (e.g., anxiety, low mood) and can step up to CAMHS if needed. Coverage is expanding and set to reach 60% of pupils by March 2026 on the way to full coverage by 2029/30.
- Self-referral (where offered): many local CYPMHS accept self-referrals from young people or parents/carers—check your local NHS pages.
Tip for carers: when routes exist in parallel, use them simultaneously. For example, ask the GP to refer, ask school to alert MHST, and complete any self-referral form the same week. Whoever picks it up first can coordinate the rest.
What to do today if risk is escalating (crisis care)
If you believe a child is at immediate risk of serious harm, call 999. Otherwise, in England, you can reach a 24/7 urgent mental health team by calling NHS 111 and selecting the mental health option; they can advise, arrange urgent assessments, or signpost to crisis alternatives. Local NHS websites also list 24/7 crisis lines.
Make the call early. Crisis teams can:
- advise on safety plans for the next 24–72 hours,
- book urgent CAMHS/crisis assessments, and
- guide you to alternatives to A&E where appropriate (e.g., crisis cafés, home-based teams).
Eating-disorder concerns: know the faster standards
For children and young people with suspected eating disorders, England has access and waiting time standards for specialist community services: urgent cases within one week and routine within four weeks from referral. Mention these when you refer and ask your GP/school to mark the referral as urgent if weight loss is rapid, medical status is unstable, or there’s high risk.
What to do now:
- Record weight/BMI trends, food diaries, dizziness/fainting, and menstrual changes.
- Ask for physical health checks (vital signs, bloods, ECG if indicated) via GP while the referral is processed.
- If deterioration is sudden, use the 111 mental health option or A&E.
Make your referral “triage-ready”
Referrals that are clear, concise, and risk-aware are prioritised more reliably. Whether you or a professional is submitting the form, include:
- Presenting difficulties (what, when, triggers, frequency, severity).
- Risk (self-harm thoughts/behaviours, suicidal ideation, violence, exploitation, missing episodes) and what’s been done to mitigate.
- Impact (attendance, attainment, sleep, eating, relationships).
- Neurodevelopmental flags (autism/ADHD traits), previous diagnoses, or EHCPs.
- Safeguarding context (looked-after status, court orders, contact arrangements).
- Current supports (school adjustments, mentoring, youth services) and what has/hasn’t worked.
Some NHS services publish referrer checklists—use them to shape your wording so clinicians can triage swiftly.
While you wait: build a support scaffold
Even the best systems have waits. Here’s how to reduce deterioration and maintain momentum:
- School adjustments now. Ask for specific, time-bound adjustments (arrive late/leave early passes; a quiet space; reduced homework; safe-adult check-ins; phased timetable). MHSTs—where present—can start brief interventions before CAMHS.
- Care plan at home. Agree predictable routines (sleep/wake, meals, screen time), a written safety plan (early-warning signs, coping tools, who to tell), and clear rules around medication and sharps.
- Evidence-based self-help. NHS pages curate reputable resources and helplines for young people and carers (e.g., YoungMinds). Keep a list on the fridge and in the child’s phone.
- Keep health checks moving. For sleep issues, tics, headaches, or suspected neurodiversity, ask the GP to continue parallel investigations (iron, thyroid, migraine management, sleep hygiene advice) so you’re not losing time.
- Record, don’t relive. Keep brief daily notes (mood, appetite, school attendance, incidents). These help clinicians see patterns and spare young people from repeating difficult stories.
If the referral is declined or downgraded
It happens—especially when services are stretched. Don’t stop:
- Ask for written reasons and the threshold criteria used.
- Request a case discussion between CAMHS, school/MHST and GP to agree a stepped-care plan.
- Escalate with new information (worsening risk, school exclusion threat, weight change). Short, factual updates often trigger re-triage.
- Complain if needed, but keep the tone collaborative; your goal is an urgent review, not a months-long dispute.
For looked-after children: use the multi-agency levers
Children in care should have initial and review health assessments and education plans—use them:
- PEP meetings (with the Virtual School) are a good place to log risk, request counselling/mentoring, and make CAMHS escalation a recorded action.
- LAC health reviews can request specific screening/tests and fast-track referrals.
- Ask your supervising social worker to co-sign urgent letters and attach placement context (moves, contact stressors) that may meet CAMHS thresholds.
Working with CAMHS once you’re in
To keep momentum once accepted:
- Agree the formulation and goals early (what the team thinks is driving the problem, what will change, how you’ll know).
- Show up prepared: bring school attendance data, behaviour logs, risk plan, and any questionnaires completed (SDQ/RCADS/etc.).
- Between sessions, keep to the plan (graded exposure, behavioural activation, sleep schedule). Therapies work best with homework.
- Coordinate with school so techniques are used in class and at home (e.g., anxiety ladders, calm-down plans).
Practical scripts and one-liners that help
- At GP/school: “We’re worried about escalating risk. Here are this week’s incidents and protective steps already tried. What can we put in place today, and can you refer to CAMHS and MHST simultaneously?”
- For eating-disorder referrals: “Given rapid weight loss and fainting, could you mark this as urgent? My understanding is urgent community eating-disorder referrals should be seen within one week.”
- When chasing: “Could triage clinically review with these new risk details? We’ll continue the safety plan and school adjustments meanwhile.”
Key contacts to bookmark
- NHS urgent mental health help (24/7, England): call NHS 111 and choose mental health, or use local crisis numbers via NHS pages.
- School Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs): ask your school/SENCO; national rollout is expanding through 2029/30.
- YoungMinds – Parents’ CAMHS guide for plain-English advice while you wait.
Bottom line
You can’t always shorten the queue—but you can shorten the journey to effective help by opening multiple routes at once, making triage-ready referrals, acting early in crises (NHS 111 mental health), and building a support scaffold at home and school while you wait. For eating-disorder concerns, use the one-week/4-week standards to push for the right timeline. And once CAMHS is involved, keep sessions purposeful, link strategies with school, and update the team promptly if risk changes.