CAMHS: I’m a professional

CAMHS Early Help Pathway

CAMHS Early Help Pathway supports children, young people and their families from 5-18 years old who are registered with a Plymouth GP and where there are concerns regarding emotional wellbeing & mental ill health.

It is the single point of access for all referrals into CAMHS from professionals, parents and young people and can offer consultation, assessment, targeted low level intervention for up to 8 sessions (group, 1-1 or access for on-line intervention for anxiety & low mood) and deliver training.

CAMHS Acute Pathway

Plymouth CAMHS Acute Pathway (P-CAP) is the umbrella term for the 6 functions that the pathway provides to Children & Young People (CYP) which is as follows:

First Response: A 24/7 crisis line providing advice, support and signposting for people experiencing mental health difficulties.  Contact NHS 111 and select the mental health option.

CAMHS P-CAP Crisis: A community-based pathway designed to support children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis within 5 working days. The Crisis team only accept referrals from First Response, Devon Referral Support Services (professionals only) and from within the wider CAMHS Service.

CAMHS P-CAP Home Treatment Team (HTT): Provides intensive support to children and young people experiencing acute mental health distress and associated risk. The HTT team only accepts referrals from within the wider CAMHS service including Tier 4 General Adolescent Unit.

CAMHS P-CAP ITASC: Provides support to children and young people who are experiencing mental health crisis and are hard to reach, have experience of multiple adverse childhood experiences or trauma experience, require multi-disciplinary / multi-agency assessment and formulation and are not ‘therapy ready’.  The ITASC team only accept referrals from within the wider CAMHS service.

CAMHS P-CAP Liaison: Based at Derriford Hospital, this pathway offers assessment to children and young people presenting at the emergency department or admitted to a ward who are presenting with intentional self-harm, suicidal ideation and/or an acute mental health presentation.  The Liaison team only accepts internal electronic referrals from clinical staff based within Derriford hospital.

Early Intervention Psychosis: Provides early assessment, intervention, and monitoring for young people with psychosis, or who are deemed to be at increased risk of experiencing psychosis, or/ and have an at-risk mental state.  The EIP team only accept referrals from Devon Referral Support Services (professionals only) and from within the wider CAMHS service.

CAMHS Eating Disorder Pathway

The CAMHS Eating Disorder Pathway works with children and young people (aged 5 – 18 years) and their families in the community, where there are significant concerns regarding their eating behaviours and the impact of this on their physical and psychological wellbeing.

This pathway works with young people with a diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) with a comorbid mental health presentation.

Infant Mental Health Pathway

The Infant Mental Health Pathway works with parents and caregivers who may be experiencing difficulties in their relationships with their babies or children, who wish to improve communication and reduce stress and family conflict, or who may be concerned about the potential impact of their own experiences on their relationship with their babies or children.

This pathway also works with young children who are experiencing significant emotional difficulties. 

Looked After Children & Youth Offending Team

The CAMHS Looked After Children team is for children and young people aged 0 – 19 years who are looked after by the local authority, and is co-located in Midland House with Plymouth Children’s Services and Children in Care Social Work teams. It provides a range of multi-disciplinary skills to a vulnerable group of children and young people who may have emerging and enduring emotional and mental health problems due to the impact of the care they have received whilst with their birth families.

The CAMHS Youth Offending pathway sits with the Youth Offending Service within Plymouth City Council’s services for children and families. It is provided within the youth offending team to identify where there are mental health problems within this population of young people. It has been identified that this population is three times more likely to develop mental health problems requiring a CAMHS intervention.

CAMHS Neurodiversity

The CAMHS Neurodiversity team offers assessment and intervention to children and young people aged from 5 to 18 years who are suspected to be neurodiverse. Neurodiversity describes differences in the ways that people’s brains work, and covers conditions such as Autistic Spectrum Condition, ADHD, or Learning Disability to name a few. 

CAMHS Therapies Team

The Therapies Team & Integrative Therapeutic Assessment & Support Clinic (I-TASC) is a service for children and young people aged 5 – 18 and their families, who are experiencing significant, severe, complex or persistent emotional, mental health, psychological and/or relationship difficulties. These can include anxiety or mood disorders, ADHD/ADD, self-harm, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic disorder, and psychotic disorders.

Plym Bridge House

Plym Bridge House is a 12-bed, purpose-built psychiatric unit in north Plymouth for teenagers with severe mental health problems or mental illness. The team provides high-quality, short-term care for young people aged 12 – 18 years, whose needs cannot be met in the community. Young people can be admitted informally, by parental consent (if under 16) or under the Mental Health Act.