Mental health and anxiety FAQs

My child is anxious about going to school. What should I do?

You should always try and discuss this with the school at the earliest opportunity. This may be your child's class teacher or the school Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator (SENCO) to try and identify what the issues are for your child and the support that can be put in place to address this.

In Nottinghamshire, schools have developed an Anxiety Related Non-Attendance (ARNA) strategy and are using the ATTEND Framework to co-ordinate support to children and families. The guide below contains information and advice for parents/carers where their child is anxious about going to school, please click here or on the image below:

Finding it hard to get your child to school

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Advice and Support

The NottAlone website has details of support and local services for young people experiencing mental health or emotional difficulties. 

Young Minds have an information and advice page for parents/carers on 'What to do if your child is refusing to attend school'. They also offer a helpline for parents/carers Tel: 0808 802 5544 (Monday to Friday 09:30 to 4:00pm). Please take a moment to watch the video or click here for more information

Who can I talk to about my child's mental health? How are mental health disorders diagnosed in children and teenagers?

If you are concerned about your child’s emotional or mental health, you can get support from your child’s school, school nursing team or your GP.

They may ask for your consent and your child’s to organise a meeting with a primary mental health worker (PMHW) from CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). The PMHW will have a discussion with the professional, where they will discuss their concerns about your child. They can then decide what is the best service to support you and your child.

CAMHS provide a service to children and young people, aged 0-18 years, who may be experiencing a range of severe and complex difficulties with their emotional and mental health. If you are aged between 12 and 18 years old and have a Nottinghamshire GP, you can self-refer to CAMHS. 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. Please click on this link for further information and contact details: CAMHS

I am a young person and I would like to know where I can find out more information about how I am feeling and also if there is anyone I can talk to?

A good starting point is the NottAlone website, which offers lots of information and advice around feelings, emotions and mental health. This can also signpost you to services in your local area.

If you need to speak to someone, Kooth offer a free confidential online support chat service with trained Counsellors.

ChatHealth is a confidential text service, which is an easy way for young people to confidentially ask for help about a range of issues, or make an appointment with a health practitioner. Young people aged 11-19 can receive confidential advice on a wide range of issues such as bullying, emotional health and wellbeing, sexual health as well as illnesses. The ChatHealth number to text is 07507 329952 (The service will be available on Monday to Friday 9.00 am – 4.30 pm excluding bank holidays. During out–of–hours, anyone who texts the service will receive an automated message with advice on where to get help if their question is urgent).

Young Minds offer free 24/7 support for young people experiencing a mental health crisis. If you need urgent help text YM to 85258. Texts are free from EE, O2, Vodafone, 3, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile, GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile and Telecom Plus.

Can my child receive counselling at school?

Speak to your school’s Head Teacher, Head of Year or SENCO to find out what counselling support is available. Some schools employ school counsellors. Some forms of emotional support can be provided at school within whole-class or group activities and school staff may be able to tell you what support is available at the school.


Other sources of support

A good starting point is the NottAlone website, which offers lots of information and advice around feelings, emotions and mental health. This can also signpost you to services in your local area.

CAMHS provide a service to children and young people, aged 0-18 years, who may be experiencing a range of severe and complex difficulties with their emotional and mental health. If you are aged between 12 and 18 years old and have a Nottinghamshire GP, you can self-refer to CAMHS. 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. Please click on this link for further information and contact details: CAMHS

If you need to speak to someone, Kooth offer a free confidential online support chat service with trained Counsellors.

ChatHealth is a confidential text service, which is an easy way for young people to confidentially ask for help about a range of issues, or make an appointment with a health practitioner. Young people aged 11-19 can receive confidential advice on a wide range of issues such as bullying, emotional health and wellbeing, sexual health as well as illnesses. The ChatHealth number to text is 07507 329952 (The service will be available on Monday to Friday 9.00 am – 4.30 pm excluding bank holidays. During out–of–hours, anyone who texts the service will receive an automated message with advice on where to get help if their question is urgent).

Young Minds offer free 24/7 support for young people experiencing a mental health crisis. If you need urgent help text YM to 85258. Texts are free from EE, O2, Vodafone, 3, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile, GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile and Telecom Plus.

 

My child masks their mental health problems in school. How can I get support for them when the school are saying there are no problems?

If you are concerned about your child’s emotional or mental health, you can get support from your school nursing team or your GP. School nurses are part of Healthy Family Teams and you can find the contact detail for your local area team by clicking on the following link: Healthy Family Teams

CAMHS provide a service to children and young people, aged 0-18 years, who may be experiencing a range of severe and complex difficulties with their emotional and mental health. If you are aged between 12 and 18 years old and have a Nottinghamshire GP, you can self-refer to CAMHS. 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. Please click on this link for further information and contact details: CAMHS

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.

They offer support and treatment for children aged 0 – 18 years who have emotional and/or mental health problems. The young people they work with may be experiencing severe or complex mental health problems and neuro-developmental disorders. These have a significant impact on the child’s development and cause distress to the child and their carers.

The Community CAMHS teams are made up of community psychiatric nurses, therapists, family support workers, specialist practitioners, peer support workers, psychologists, non-medical prescribers and psychiatrists. These professionals work together with children, young people and their families to try to overcome their difficulties using evidence-based treatments

How do I get a referral to CAMHS for my child?

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 the team to ask for help.  The telephone number is 0115 8542 299 and it is open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. 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, which can be accessed by clicking on the following link: CAMHS Self-referral

If you prefer you can speak to your GP or school health nurse who can get in touch with CAMHS by calling or writing to them. Any other professional who works with your child/ young person like a social worker, counsellor or youth worker can also contact CAMHS to find out how they can help you.

My child needs to be seen urgently as they are in distress. What should I do?

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team offer a service for young people experiencing a mental health crisis. This includes young people who are:

  • are at risk of immediate and significant self-harm
  • are an immediate and significant risk to others due to their mental health
  • are being considered for admission to a mental health inpatient unit
  • are in acute psychological or emotional distress that is causing them to not be able to go about their daily activities, such as going to school and looking after themselves

To access further information on the team and contact details please click on the following link: CAMHS

You can also find out further information on dealing with a mental health crisis or emergency by clicking on the following link: NHS

Young Minds offer free 24/7 support for young people experiencing a mental health crisis. If you need urgent help text YM to 85258. Texts are free from EE, O2, Vodafone, 3, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile, GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile and Telecom Plus.

When my child has identified mental health issues, should they have a named key worker within health and education?

Not always, this will depend on the nature of your child's needs and what support or intervention would be most appropriate. Speak to your child's school or any services involved in identifying your child's mental health issues to find out what support would be most appropriate.  

CAMHS Involvement

When working within community CAMHS, children and young people will have a care co-coordinator (CCO). The CCO may be the practitioner working directly with the young person or it may be another practitioner offering an intervention that has been identified whilst having the CCO co-ordinating their care.

What happens when my child turns 18? Will they have to be put on the waiting list for an appointment with adult mental health services?

Not all children and young people requiring a CAMHS service will require ongoing work and adult mental health services.

If they do, CAMHS work on transitions and would be preparing for this and making any appropriate referrals to adult service teams before the young person turns 18.

Are ASD and ADHD mental health issues?

ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder and ADHD (Attention Deficit hyperactivity disorder) are neurodevelopmental disorders and do not always lead to mental health difficulties. Children who have medical diagnoses such as ASD or ADHD can develop mental health disorders if they have risk factors present in their lives. However, they can also develop positive mental health if they have a good range of protective factors to balance out risk factors.

Children with ASD are more prone to stress and anxiety because…

  • They have difficulties in terms of language and communication skills, regarding what they understand as well as what they are able to express.
  • They have difficulties with social skills which make it hard to initiate and maintain friendships due to issues with social empathy and the perceived unpredictability of other people.
  • They have a rigidity of thought processes which makes it challenging to cope with change or accommodate the needs of other people.

They have a difference in processing sensory information which can lead to sensory sensitivities. 

My child has a life limiting condition. What mental health support is available?

You can access support support and information from Together for Short Lives. Their family support hub offers emotional and practical advice. If you have questions, need support or just want someone to talk to you can contact the Together for Families Helpline free on 0808 8088 100 or email: info@togetherforshortlives.org.uk

The Barnados Butterfly Project provides comprehensive practical and emotional support to children & young people with life limiting illnesses and their families, from diagnosis to bereavement. You can contact them on 01773 530515 or by email:  BFSSNottinghamshire&Derbyshire@barnardos.org.uk  

My child’s mental health problems are affecting everyone in our house. Who can other family members talk to?

Young Minds offer a helpline and webchat for parents/carers where their child may be experiencing mental health problems. 

 

Page last reviewed: 04/01/2024

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