A guide on what to expect when moving from child to adult mental health services, and what do do if things don't go the way they should.
Sometimes moving from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to adult services doesn't go the way it should, and you may need to let someone know. No matter what the problem is, you're not alone and you deserve support.
"I don’t know anyone who found the transition process easy, and I think it’s important to know that going in. I found it overwhelming... but I survived it."
Below are ideas of things that might help, but these can be difficult, so if you can, try and get support from a friend or trusted adult.
If you're unhappy with how things are going, you should tell the person who is managing your move to adult services.
If you don't know who that is, ask to speak to the manager of your CAMHS service and explain how you feel, what you think is going wrong and what you would like to change. You could do this face to face, by phone, letter or email.
Your CAMHS team will follow a policy for moving you from CAMHS to Adult Mental Health Services. If you're not sure whether you're getting the right support, or feel your move to adult services isn't going the way it should, you can ask your CAMHS team to see a copy of the policy.
An advocate could help you go through this policy and help you understand if you're getting the support you deserve. You can also read our page on what to expect for information about what should be happening.
"My team at CAMHS were really transparent with me about what it was going to be like, and I found that really helped me."
If you need more support or you're having problems with moving to adult services, it could help to find an advocate.
An advocate can be a trusted friend or family member, or a professional advocate. Advocates are people who help by:
Making a complaint can be a hard process to go through, especially if you're not feeling well. Sometimes it can help to ask a trusted adult to help you, or see if there is an NHS complaints advocacy service in your area. They can help you write down what you're worried about and what you want to happen.
If you're not getting the support you need from CAMHS or adult services for any reason, there are lots of other places that you can find support, like:
For more options, read our page on finding support.
Go to our resources on how to get help and support >
Go to our main info hub for young people >
These are services that support young people with their mental health. You may also hear them called Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS).
See our page on CAMHS for more information.
These are NHS services that support adults with mental health problems.
Visit our full treatment and support glossaryThe name for a plan that explains your mental health problem, what treatment and support you need, and who will provide that support. Care plans might also cover what should happen if you're in a mental health crisis.
There are different types of plans, such as a Care Programme Approach (CPA) or Care and Treatment Plan (CTP). Whatever type of plan you have, you should always be given a copy of it.
Visit our full treatment and support glossaryAn advocate is someone who can listen to you and help make sure your voice is heard in decisions about you.
In some situations, you will have a right to have an advocate. This is called statutory advocacy.
Even if you don’t have a right to an advocate, there are other types of advocacy that can support you to get your voice heard.
See our page on advocacy for more information.
Visit our full treatment and support glossaryThis is a document that sets out how an organisation will act in certain situations. For example, a transition policy should explain how an organisation will manage a young person leaving their services.
Visit our full treatment and support glossaryThis information was published in June 2019. We will revise it in 2022.
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