If a child or young person you care for is experiencing difficulties, there are many ways you can find support through the useful advice and information on this page.

We see children and young people up until their 18th birthday who have a family doctor (GP) in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.

If you or they need an urgent response, visit our I need help now page.

You can also find useful self-help suggestions for a range of difficulties on each of our conditions pages.

If you are a parent or carer of a child or young person who is struggling with their mental health, we recommend talking to a trusted adult. These include people at their school and in the wider support community, such as:

  • their teacher or a school counsellor
  • school health nurse
  • your family doctor, also known as a GP
  • social worker
  • Families Plus or Families in Focus
  • community paediatricians
  • Off The Record (OTR) drop-ins

Children and young people need to be referred by a professional. We are currently developing a new system that will allow families and carers to refer to all CAMHS services. Please check this page for further updates.

Children and young people can refer themselves to the CAMHS drug and alcohol teams in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. 

CAMHS currently only accepts referrals from certain professionals who work with children and young people. These professionals include: 

  • schools - teachers, counsellors, school health nurses
  • GPs 
  • social workers
  • Families Plus, Families in Focus
  • community paediatricians
  • Off The Record (OTR) staff

If you are unsure who to go to and would like advice, we recommend speaking to your family doctor (GP) or a school health nurse.

We have useful pages on a range of conditions with helpful information and advice for families and carers. Visit our Conditions pages here for further support relevant to the difficulty your child or young person is experiencing.