Health and CAMHS: Getting Support Without Long Delays

Getting health and mental-health support moving early is one of the most powerful things foster carers can do to stabilise a placement. In the first days and weeks, your priorities are simple but time-sensitive: make sure the child is registered with primary care, complete statutory health assessments on time, and line up the right emotional-wellbeing support. This guide explains how the system works in England, how Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS/CAMHS) fit in, and what carers and social workers can do together to prevent long waits.

Why the first 30 days matter

The moment a child comes into care, there are health tasks that start the clock. You are building a picture of the child’s physical, developmental and emotional needs so that early help can begin quickly. Even small delays—missing information, unclear consent, gaps in school or health records—can push mental-health referrals back by months. Thinking ahead about what evidence CAMHS will need, and gathering it in week one, is often the difference between a smooth pathway and a long wait.

Registering with primary care after placement

Every looked-after child needs to be registered promptly with a local GP to ensure prescriptions, repeat medication, routine vaccinations and onward referrals are not disrupted. If a child has recently arrived in the UK or has incomplete records, the GP can also help catch them up on immunisations and connect them to screening programmes. The NHS provides clear guidance on how to register with a GP and how practices deliver the childhood vaccination and immunisation schedule, which continues as normal for children in care. nhs.ukNHS England

The Initial Health Assessment and timely reviews

In England, the Initial Health Assessment (IHA) is the statutory gateway into ongoing health planning for a looked-after child. It should be offered and completed within 20 working days of the child entering care, usually by a paediatrician, and includes a holistic assessment of physical, developmental and emotional needs. After that, Review Health Assessments take place every 6 months for children under 5 and annually for those aged 5 and above. These timeframes matter because mental-health referrals often draw on findings from these assessments and the resulting Health Plan.

Understanding CAMHS (CYPMHS) and what they provide

CAMHS—now widely called Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS)—are NHS teams that assess and treat a range of needs, from anxiety and low mood to self-harm, eating difficulties, trauma-related problems and neurodevelopmental conditions. Support can include talking therapies, family work, crisis input, and liaison with school. Referrals usually come from a GP, social worker or school; some areas accept self-referrals for older young people. If a child is already open to a local service, ask for a transfer rather than starting again. The NHS explains the scope of CYPMHS and typical support options in plain language, which is useful for carers to share with teens and secondary schools.

When it’s urgent: getting help now

If a child is at immediate risk or in acute distress, don’t wait on routine pathways. Call NHS 111 and choose the mental-health option for same-day clinical advice, or go to A&E / call 999 if there is risk of harm. Many areas also run 24/7 crisis lines and urgent CAMHS teams that respond quickly—use them. National NHS pages outline exactly how to access urgent help step-by-step so carers and older young people know what to do in the moment.

Build a strong referral that won’t get bounced

CAMHS services triage on risk, impact and evidence. A referral that clearly describes day-to-day difficulties, triggers, educational impact and safeguarding context is much more likely to progress. Carers can gather and organise the background while social workers and GPs handle the clinical submission. The aim is to answer, in writing, “why now?”, “how is this affecting safety and functioning?”, and “what has already been tried?”

Use the SDQ and school evidence to sharpen the picture

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is routinely used to track the emotional wellbeing of looked-after children. Include the most recent SDQ scores and a short summary of what those scores look like in real life. Ask the school for recent attendance, behaviour logs, learning-support notes and any Educational Psychologist reports. When the SDQ and school records are attached up front, CAMHS can triage more quickly and plan the right pathway.

Connect health and education: Virtual School and Pupil Premium Plus

Every looked-after child has a Virtual School Head (VSH) overseeing education, and the school receives Pupil Premium funding to meet needs set out in the Personal Education Plan (PEP). Use your PEP meeting to agree practical supports that can start immediately—pastoral check-ins, safe spaces, mentoring, small-group interventions, or additional counselling—while you wait for specialist input. The Department for Education’s Pupil Premium guidance, and local Virtual School pages, explain how funding is managed and used to support looked-after children’s outcomes.

Short-circuiting delays: practical steps that work

The biggest causes of delay are missing information, unclear consent, and referrals that don’t explain risk and impact. A week spent chasing records can save months later. Keep everything in one place—a simple, dated chronology helps professionals see patterns quickly.

Get the basics right in week one

Make sure the GP is confirmed and the IHA appointment is booked. If the child already takes medication or has an EHCP, bring copies to the GP and social worker. Ask the social worker to note any interim safety plans around self-harm or missing episodes in the placement plan. If the child has seen a counsellor or CAMHS before, request a transfer of notes rather than beginning from scratch. These small administrative moves often shave weeks off waiting times because the receiving team can start from known history rather than re-assess everything.

Pre-referral support you can start today

School-based support can begin immediately. Many areas now have Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) working with schools; your SENCO or Designated Teacher will know what is available locally. While MHST input is not a substitute for specialist CAMHS, it can offer guided self-help, anxiety programmes and family sessions that contain difficulties while you wait. In parallel, your supervising social worker can signpost to local voluntary counselling, bereavement or young carers’ services which are often quicker to access.

Keep communication tight between carers, GP and social worker

Agree who is chasing what and by when. Ask the GP surgery for the Single Point of Access (SPA) details for local CAMHS and note any forms or screening tools they expect. If the referral is declined, ask for written reasons and the “what would need to change” criteria—then rebuild the referral with the missing evidence rather than abandoning the plan. If risk escalates while you wait, update the GP or SPA immediately; risk changes can move a young person up the triage queue.

Specific scenarios you might face

Certain situations need a tailored approach, but the same principles—good evidence and early help—still apply.

Trauma and loss after entering care

Many children experience trauma-related symptoms that can look like anger, shutdown or risk-taking. Day-to-day regulation strategies at home—routine, predictable responses, calming spaces—make a difference right away and are consistent with therapeutic parenting models used by specialist clinicians. Use placement supervision to agree and record approaches you’ll use so school can mirror them.

Neurodiversity: support before diagnosis

Assessment for autism or ADHD can take time. While you wait, ask school to implement the adjustments that address the most pressing barriers—visual routines, movement breaks, quiet spaces, predictable transitions—so the child can function better now. If there are safety concerns linked to impulsivity or sensory overwhelm, write them into the safety plan and daily routines while clinicians assess and advise.

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC)

UASC may have significant health needs alongside trauma, language barriers and uncertainty about the future. GPs can use specialist guidance to arrange initial health checks, infectious-disease screening, immunisation catch-up and signposting to trauma-informed mental-health services with interpreting. Build in time at the start for trust and stabilisation—safe housing, school, community links—so CAMHS input lands well.

Recording well and protecting confidentiality

Daily recording should be factual and specific: what was observed, what was said, what helped, and any actions taken. Good records are not just an administrative requirement; they are the evidence CAMHS uses to plan treatment. At the same time, respect the child’s privacy. Health information is sensitive; share on a need-to-know basis with school and services, and avoid names or details that could identify others. Your safer-caring policy and the child’s Health Plan should explain how you store and share information.

When a wait becomes unsafe

Long lists make headlines, but you are never stuck without options. If a young person talks about harming themselves or others, shows sudden deterioration, or you are simply worried that you cannot keep them safe, escalate. Call 111 and choose the mental-health option for same-day clinical advice, or use local crisis lines and A&E when needed. After any crisis contact, inform the GP and social worker the same day so safety plans and referrals are updated.

Pulling it all together: a realistic plan for the next 12 weeks

For most foster families, the next three months look like this. In weeks 1–2, you sort the basics: GP registration, IHA appointment, school liaison, and initial safety planning. In weeks 3–4, you complete the IHA, gather school evidence and SDQ results, and submit a high-quality CAMHS referral through the GP or SPA. In weeks 5–8, while you wait for triage, you activate school-based help, MHST support and community services, review routines at home, and log what helps. If the referral is accepted, you prepare the child for assessment; if it is declined, you request clear feedback and rebuild the referral with the missing pieces. In weeks 9–12, you keep the plan moving—update the SPA if risk changes, use PEP meetings to agree funded supports, and continue to record so the first CAMHS appointment starts from a rich, joined-up picture rather than guesswork.

Key takeaways for carers and social workers

The system can be complex, but the logic is simple. Act early, document clearly, and keep pressure on the right doors. The IHA and school evidence unlock pathways. The SDQ turns behaviours into data. The PEP and Pupil Premium fund practical help now. Urgent help is always available if risk increases. And when everybody communicates—carer, GP, school, social worker and CAMHS—waiting time is spent stabilising and building readiness, not standing still.