We offer specialist emotional wellbeing and mental health service for all children and young people who are registered with a GP in Gloucestershire or Herefordshire. We see children and young people up to 18 years of age when they find it hard to cope with their feelings.
Everyone feels stressed, anxious, down or angry from time to time but sometimes these feelings can be overwhelming and just won't go away. Usually children and young people referred to us will be experiencing emotional wellbeing problems that significantly affect their ability to cope with normal stresses and demands of life.
We have services in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire for children and young people who are experiencing mental health issues. We also work in partnership with families and professionals supporting young people with mental health needs. You can find out all about the services we provide by visiting our dedicated website for children and young people here.
If your mood is affecting your daily life, you should seek help as soon as possible.
See what other conditions ²gether NHS Foundation Trust can help with.
Children can have a variety of different emotional and behavioural problems. Some of these will be short-lived, and others will be disorders that will need treatment. If a problem is easy to sort out, then most parents are able to do so without our help. Sometimes, you may need help to deal with problems, but we understand it is not always easy to ask for help. Going to see any health professional about a child's emotional or behavioural difficulties can be a very daunting experience. Parents often feel anxious and worried. Our teams are here to work with you, in partnership, to help sort out your difficulties.
Our aim is to help your child to understand common mental health conditions and allow them to make choices that will affect their own mental and physical wellbeing. It is also about understanding that the way we feel, whether we are happy or sad, is all part of our mental health. We currently only accept referrals to our service from practitioners working with young people and their families/carers. We do not accept self-referrals at this time. If you are concerned about your child's emotional wellbeing then make an appointment with your GP to discuss your concerns.
My child has been referred – what happens next?
Referrals to our service usually come from your GP or other health professionals. Once we have received a referral request we will contact you or your child by letter asking you to ring in and book a 'CHOICE' appointment at a time which is convenient to you. For this first CHOICE appointment, it is up to your child and you to decide who is best to attend to give an understanding of the problem. You can come with your child or it may be appropriate to bring along other family members.
What is a CHOICE appointment?
A CHOICE appointment is a chance for your child and you to discuss worries and concerns. A member of our team will listen carefully and help you and your family make an informed choice about what you need and want and what support your child may need. It may be that we can help or we may suggest another local service as a more appropriate support for your family. It may help you and your child to write down what you want to say before the meeting.
At a CHOICE appointment, we work towards a joint agreement between the team member, child/young person and family/carer about what the current issues are, what changes are needed and then agreeing how best to achieve these goals within a partnership approach between all of us. The team member will ask your child for basic information about them, such as who is in their family, their school, their ethnicity and religious beliefs as well as contact details. Sometimes a CHOICE appointment is all that you and your family need to move on and manage the current difficulties. If further support is needed, a 'PARTNERSHIP' appointment will be offered to discuss further options of help and support.
What is a PARTNERSHIP appointment?
At a PARTNERSHIP appointment we will discuss and jointly agree your child's own care plan. A care plan details what services are being offered to your child and you and the reasons why. Next steps may involve your child meeting a team member on an individual basis, working within a group setting with other young people with similar difficulties or there may be the need for further specialist assessment sessions to work out what type of support will be best for your child.
If you work with children and young people in Gloucestershire or Herefordshire and are concerned about their emotional wellbeing and mental health, our children and young people services can help.
Information on our practitioner helplines and how to make a referral can be found on our dedicated website – https://cayp.2gether.nhs.uk.