What does the law say about supporting children affected by mental ill-health?
The law about supporting children affected by mental ill-health can be complex and confusing. This is because:
- It is not found neatly in one place
- Different laws, regulations and guidance may apply depending on which agency or organisation is involved
- Different laws and regulations may apply depending on the nature and extent of mental ill-health difficulty a child has.
Information information about some of the legal duties that children’s services have towards children in different situations who are affected by mental ill-health, are explained later on this page.
Any parent or carer looking for legal information and advice about child mental ill-health should seek that from a specialist organisation. See the Mental Health section on our Useful links page for details.
What does CAMHS mean? What do they do?
Services for children affected by mental ill-health in England are known as CAMHS. This stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. In some areas they may be known as CYPMHS instead – Child and Young People’s Mental Health Service.
CAMHS (or CYPMHS) is made up of different agencies, organisations and services. This includes schools, children’s services, and health services. Together they aim to provide different kinds of help that children in their local area may need.
How to access CAMHS may vary from areas to area. But often a referral is needed. This is often via the young person’s GP. Sometimes the referral can be made by another practitioner such a social worker or teacher. Many CAMHS services have their own websites with information about how to access their service.
Local CAMHS services can be found using the search tool on the NHS website.