Could I have your honest opinions on CAMHS please?

[whateverisabeartodo]

I've worked in mental health in education for some time now and have been offered a role in CAMHS.

There is a good career progression, decent salary, job security, CPD, lots of things I don't get in my current role. However, in my area CAMHS don't have a great reputation and I worry I'd be selling my sole to leave a job I love and believe in for something that is better for me but maybe won't fulfil me as much.

So, just wondered if anyone has experience as a parent of a child accessing CAMHS and what your opinion was? Thank you!

I needed CAHMS for my daughter a year last January. She developed panic disorder and depression and agoraphobia and took an overdose.

I'm still waiting. I get a letter every now and again saying sorry for your wait.

If I had relied on that service she would be dead! I paid privately for her to see a CAHMS psychiatrist. I pay for all her medication prescriptions privately as guess what? I can't get them prescribed by a gp because she's not been seen by CAHMS!

It's been totally shit to be honest!

We have the same problem in our area- it's the time you wait. 18 months currently just to be seen

My dd was seen very quickly - within two months. I did do a lot of calling and I know our gp really emphasised how quickly the situation was worsening which probably helped. She has anxiety, a panic disorder and separation anxiety. We're making progress. She can now do some things without me, and I can go to the bathroom on my own again. I know that other people in our area have had a different experience though.

Awful, awful, awful.
Had child under cahms during GCSEs, they expected parental support but wouldn’t disclose a thing. Ended up needing crisis team, due to paperwork we were prematurely discharged,then couldn’t get back in. Many staff changes during this time.Eventually child refused to go!!!
Then we get letters apologising for poor care and no follow through. A truly shocking experience

All four of my kids have been under camhs at some point. Either triage and dismissed or waited two years for nothing but discharge. By the time two years has passed you have figured out a way to survive.

I'm SE. Its worst than chocolate teapot. Its damaged children. But most childs therapy in county sold their souls. No one cares about the kids. In fact I think some see kids as a scourge and drain on society. Harsh words but you wait two years for help just for a door to slammed in your face.

Ask how long wait lists are and how much therapy you will do versus paper pushing and getting kids off the list. If you will be only be treating the worst kids who have taken steps to end their lives. In county that's the only way you dont wait two years, they have at least one failed suicide attempt or more commonly, multiple tryst but again then they normally say your beyound help. It's a mess. Maybe you could be the change but be careful you might indeed have to sell out.

Just to say my gp wrote numerous letters and I may numerous calls as any mother would when your child is in such a bad place. It has not got us anywhere.

In my area, only real suicide attempts get access to help, not anything deemed to be a cry for help and certainly not self harm.
And then the children are discharged at the first possible opportunity as I was told they have targets they have to meet.
I can’t imagine it would be rewarding working in that environment- at the very least I think you’d need to be resilient and thick skinned as I suspect it might be quite upsetting to provide such poor care.

I'd like to think that the long waiting lists & budget cuts can explain why we've been treated so appallingly. I honestly don't know how they sleep at night. If there are other options, then I'd go for them.

I'm sorry but they've not got a good reputation here in the SW either. But how are they gonna get better if new people don't work for them and try to evolve.

They're shut basically

Shit not shut lol

As a nurse referring to CAMHS I’d say they make every excuse to not accept kids.

They're severely underfunded and poorly organised - I expect working for them would be an absolute nightmare experience unfortunately, similar to social services where caseloads are impossible and you just don't have the time, brain space or resources to do anyone you see justice.

It would be interesting to see if anyone responds who has experience working there, whether it's OK once someone actually gets to the end of the waiting list etc, but my guess would be nope.

I have found them poor. I ended up refusing their 'support' in the end as it was causing us all more distress. I often blame myself for thinking that they could or would help my son. Hopeless and actually unkind in some cases.

Absolutely and utterly dreadful experience with them. Waiting list wasn’t too long but when we go through to counselling it was dreadful, inconsistent and my child wouldn’t engage - so they signed us off rather than offer any alternative. I have sought a re referral recently and know exactly what I will ask them this time and will have NICE guidelines at hand

My child was seen about 10 times, came out more distressed than when they went in, eventually refused to go! We ended up having to go private, problems improved within weeks. Something camhs couldn’t achieve in 2 years

Dreadful and that's if you even get seen !
The whole system needs a shakeup

West Midlands here. My experience of Camhs both professionally and as a parent is that the service is not fit for purpose.

I was really disappointed with the service my son received from CAHMS. We were appointed a case worker about 18 months ago. Over the months it became clear that her caseload was unmanageable and that there was often higher priority cases taking priority over my son. We’d make plans for her to do work which she would fail to do or would cancel sessions and now she’s left. We’ve had an initial appointment with a family therapist but we won’t be able to start working with her until we get a new case worker and no one is applying for the job so we’re stuck.

I’m not sure whether it was bad luck to have this person who was so flakey, or if it’s CAHMS as a whole but I’ve been really unimpressed.

Thank goodness that changing school has allowed DS’s anxiety to reduce to a level where he’s no longer suicidal or self harming - but absolutely no thanks to CAHMS.

I think Cahms are utterly overwhelmed….

Some of the kindest, most empathetic, highly skilled and exceptional people I have ever met worked for CAMHS. None of them could cope with the poor service they were tasked with providing and all have found other avenues in which to work to help children.

I think they are likely to be disbanded soon and then all the mental health work will fall on schools. With no funding and all the accountability.

My experience working across a few different services… It can be quite soul destroying. Caseloads are massive and there is huge pressure from managers to finish treatment in unreasonable timescales. Waiting times and thresholds, and the service on offer, massively varies from service to service.
The good bits; building relationships with young people, seeing them change and progress. Every day is different. It can be incredibly rewarding. Potentially life changing, or saving young people’s lives.
The bad bits; other professionals and parents usually think you’re not trying or are deliberately withholding treatment, high caseloads, feeling guilty, always worrying about risk and whether you are doing enough. Not having enough time. General NHS pressures and lack of funding…

I also don’t think they’re trained/ experienced enough to deal with teenagers.
As the OP said, starting off with the best intentions, maybe it just ends in career progression at the expense of our teenagers

Don't know a single person who has had a good experience. Ours was better than most but considering my child is supposed to be 'regularly reviewed' and is on serious medication we barely hear from them. If your child goes into crisis you're on your own. It keeps me awake at night!
It's a 4 year wait to be assessed for adhd where we live in SE. So some kids are missing most of their education. Its absolutely a scandal. It's destroying lives. Problem here is severe staff shortages.