Care and support

What professional bodies are involved in CAMHS and how can I access them?

Child and adolescent mental health services in Hertfordshire can be accessed via a number of services. Listed below are details of all of the places where CAMHS workers can be accessed. For information about how to make a referral, please follow the link to How to make a referral below and on the right hand side of the page.

Primary Care Liaison Service

CAMH professionals work alongside Primary Care Trust services to provide specialist support for less complex child mental health cases. This can include assessment and some therapeutic intervention.

Referral Process:

Referrals are accepted from GPs, Health Visitors and
School Nurses and Tier 3 services such as the child and family clinics.


Primary Mental Health Workers in Family Support Centres

Health workers provide parenting support, education and behaviour support for children and their families who are at risk of developing mental health problems.

Referral Process:

Referrals are through the CSF agreed process for
accessing Family Support Centres. For more information please use the link to Accessing family support centres on the right hand side of the page. Referrals may also be made through Tier 2 or 3 CAMH services.


Primary Mental Health Workers in Behaviour Support Teams

Health workers work with other Behaviour Support Team members to
provide support to schools for young people who have
emotional/psycho-social difficulties or behavioural
difficulties which may put them at risk of exclusion. The
CAMH specialist will, where appropriate, provide short
term therapeutic support for the child and family.

Referral Process:

Referrals are through the agreed CSF referral route for
BSTs. Referrals may also be made by CAMH workers in
tiers 2 and 3 directly to the CAMH worker.


Primary Mental Health Workers in Youth Offending Teams

Workers contribute to the complex multi agency teams that provide services to these young people. The CAMH worker will undertake mental health assessments of young people within the youth justice system, refer them to other appropriate services and provide ongoing support. Often young people in the youth justice system have very complex mental health needs so close working with Tier 3 is essential.

Referral Process:

Referrals are generally from the courts or other
Specialists within youth justice services


Child & Family clinics (also known as tier three)

Clinics provide assessment and treatment for children, young people and where appropriate their families with complex mental health needs.

Referral Process:

Referrals are accepted from GPs, Social Workers,
Health Visitors, Behaviour Support team staff,
Youth Offending Team staff and Family Support
Service staff.

Across Hertfordshire there are seven Child & Family/CAMHS
Clinics, some of which provide satellite clinics to
outlying areas such as Baldock & Bishops
Stortford.

• Contact Details : Child & Family Clinics
• Borehamwood – Tel: 020-8953-6431
• Hemel Hempstead – Tel: 01442 259132
• Hoddesdon – Tel: 01992 465042
• St Albans – Tel: 01727 829439
• Stevenage – Tel: 01438-781406 /7
• Watford – Tel: 01923 470600
• Welwyn – Tel: 01707 351800

Adolescent Outreach Service

This specialist service works with young people between 12-18 years who are experiencing a range of emotional / mental health difficulties and who have a Hertfordshire GP. The team bridge the gap between inpatient units and community clinics providing comprehensive assessments, second opinions and short term packages of care.

Referrals:

Referrals to the outreach team come from Child & Family (CAMHS) clinics and inpatient units.