CAMHS age limit

[summertime69]

my 16 year old daughter is being told by camhs that she has to leave before she turns 17 because she's too old for the service. The NHS website says that some people stay with CAMHS until 18 so slightly confused. Does anyone have any experience of being forced out of camhs due to age and if there's anything we can do? Thanks

You need to write to them and ask them what arrangements are being put in place for transition. Registered post and follow it up. Insist on answers. Where we live adult services are better so it was a relief when dd turned 18 which is the cut off here. But I did have to be very very clear about setting up the transition so there was seamless provision.

Look up your local NHS Trust website online and see what it says. 17 seems young to me to transfer to adult services these days, but all areas are different.

My dd was will camhs continually from 15.7 to 18.3. The service should be up to age 18 although my area will take referals at 16 or 17 they will try and push them to adult services if possible instead.

*with

Some areas have a transitioning team or young adults team age 16-25 or thereabouts, I'd ask them to clarify what the next step is

in my area it works a few ways; If the young person will probably be under MH services for a while they are transitioned to Adult. If CAMHS believe that they will be discahged before 25 they can be kept till 25, but only SOME have training to this age range. Any referals after 17 are sent adult.

In our area if you are at school you can access CAMH until 18, but if you are at college you have to access adult services. I'm not clear why there is a distinction