Barnsley CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

The Barnsley child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) provides a comprehensive and quality service to children and young people in the Barnsley area. We provide services to children and young people up to their 18th birthday who are experiencing a wide range of behavioural, psychological and emotional problems, difficult relationships, trauma or abuse.

Our service is part of the children and young people improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) programme that works in partnership with children and young people to help improve and monitor services.

Barnsley CAMHS is made up of four teams:

• SPA (Single Point Of Access)
• Specialist Pathways (Mood and Emotional & Complex Behaviour)
• CHBTT (Crisis Home Based Treatment Team)
• CIC (Children In Care)

Our specialist team is made up of psychiatrists, specialist nurses, psychologists, specialist social workers and therapists. We help children, young people and their families, on both an individual and group basis. We also offer our mental health expertise across children’s services in the area, providing consultation, training and advice to carers, families and other professionals. We work using a multi-agency approach where appropriate and if possible. We also have CAMHS practitioners within the Youth Offending Team where who we work closely in assessing and providing support/intervention for mental health needs.

We offer a range of support and interventions to children, young people, families and carers who use the Barnsley CAMHS service. Examples of support that we offer include:

ADHD Assessments

Brief solution focussed therapy (a goal-directed therapy that focuses on solutions instead of problems)

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) (a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think or behave)

Cognitive Assessments

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy

Evidence-based parenting interventions

Eye movement desensitisation reprogramming (a treatment used to reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder)

Family therapy

Group therapies

Play therapy

Psychiatric assessment and diagnosis

Psychologist assessment and interventions

We aim to improve and maintain the mental health of children and young people living in Barnsley.

Referral Process:

Referrals accepted from:

A & E, Drug/alcohol agencies, GPs, Health visitors, Hospital staff, Local authority staff, Other NHS services, Other Trust services, Self-Referral

Referral criteria:

We operate a single point of entry to Barnsley children and adolescent mental health services. A referral form for our service needs to be completed and can be sent via secure email to barnsleycamhs.referrals@nhs.net, or posted to:

Barnsley CAMHS,
Child and Adolescent Unit,
New Street Health Centre,
Upper New Street,
Barnsley,
S70 1LP

Our SPA clinicians assess the level of urgency of all referrals; they will liaise with our Crisis Home Based Treatment Team who can respond immediately if required.

We accept referrals in cases where young people have not responded to interventions from preventative, health and support services and are still presenting significant mental health difficulties. The level of difficulty the child or young person experiences will be significantly interfering with their ability to cope. Factors such as level of parental or carer concern, level of distress in the young person, how long the problem has been going on, known risks or resilience factors will all be taken into account.

Individuals may show signs and symptoms suggestive of the following:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (from the age of six)

Moderate to severe depression

Attachment difficulties

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Phobia and severe anxiety (including post-traumatic stress disorder)

Conduct disorder

Psychosis

Deliberate self-harm

Tic disorders (including Tourettes syndrome)

Eating Disorders