Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
We support young people with emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties.
We are a specialist NHS service providing assessment and support for children and young people up to 18 who are experiencing poor mental health.
We work with you and your family to identify your difficulties and provide the right help for you.
These resources will help you understand some of the common mental health problems young people experience and what you can do to help.
We have launched a new mental health helpline for children and young people in Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire during COVID-19.
If you are already open to CAMHS, please contact your local base as usual, using the contact numbers in the contact us section.
If you are not open to CAMHS and have a concern about a child or young person’s mental health, please phone 01865 903 777 between 9am and 5pm on weekdays. For urgent issues out of hours (which do not require a 999 emergency response) please phone 01865 901 000.
We are anticipating disruption to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Bath and NE Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire as a result of the impact of Coronavirus.
Our priority is to minimise disruption as much as possible and to keep you updated and informed of any changes to service delivery.
Click the button below to read the statement from BSW CAMHS about our services during COVID-19:
We have compiled a few helpful resources to support children and young people experiencing worries about coronavirus (COVID-19).
Watch the video, download the self-help sheet and visit the Young Minds website.
You’ll hear this abbreviation a lot, so let’s explain it now. CAMHS simply stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.
CAMHS help children and young people up to 18 who are finding it hard to cope with everyday life because of difficult feelings, behaviour or relationships.
Most of the time when we are sad, angry, stressed or worried these feelings pass within a few days, but if they go on for a while and stop us enjoying and coping with life, then CAMHS can help.
Just as we go to the doctors when we are physically ill, sometimes we need extra help with our mental health.
Learn more: Young Mind’s ‘Your Guide to CAMHS’
We provide flexible support to suit your needs.
The CAMHS team is made up of different mental health professionals with specialised skills and expertise. You might see one member of the team on their own or several of them.
We will work with you to agree what support and treatment is best for you.
CAMHS supports children and young people aged 0-18 years. They can work with you in a range of different ways to suit your needs. Some of the ways we can work with you and the therapies we use are explained below:
As part of our digital offer we are working with our partner, Healios, to provide secure online video assessments and treatment that you can access from your home. This will be offered to you if your clinician feels that it is appropriate.
Young people like you are key to designing and delivering our services. Find out how you can get involved via the link below.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality means that what you tell us is kept as private as possible. The only exception to us maintaining confidentiality is if we become concerned about your safety or the safety of others.
We will always try to discuss with you who we need to talk to and what we’re going to say, in a supportive and open way.
Your CAMHS worker can explain this to you in more detail.
Consent
Consent means agreement or permission to do or allow something. CAMHS may ask for your consent to share information with other people (your family or school for example) or consent to accept treatment.
Keeping you safe
You have the right to be safe, no matter who you are or what’s happening to you.
Safeguarding includes:
If you are worried staff are always available and willing to talk with you about any concerns you have.
Young Minds (an external site) provide a helpful guide explaining what happens when young people receiving help from CAMHS reach an age when they need to move on and get the support that they need from adult services.
You can access this guide here: Young Minds: Young people’s guide to transition
Young people have said that there are some words in mental health services which can be confusing.
Use our jargon buster to find out what common words you might hear mean: Jargon buster / glossary
We are committed to providing services that are accessible to all. Different people have different needs and we will do whatever we can to ensure these needs are met.
If it’s an emergency, phone 999. This is if your child’s life or the life of another child or young person is at immediate risk.
If it’s not a 999 emergency, you can dial 111 if you need help fast.
What do you think of our website or our service? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you.
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Coronavirus (COVID-19): We are not allowing visitors to any of our hospital or inpatient sites in order to protect our patients and staff who care for them from the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). This is with effect from Monday 23 March 2020 until further notice.