CAMHS Alliance - Hackney

Service details

Who are we? 

The City and Hackney is firmly committed to a whole system of joined-up working between services and organisations. To develop better ways for partners and organisations to work together to deliver care services that can reach more children, young people, families, schools, and the wider community the CAMHS Alliance was created in 2015.

This model of working aims to move away from a purely ‘medical model’ of service delivery so that we minimise the risk of unmet needs in the system. The aim is to meet the full range of needs from universal to crisis.


What do we do? 

Within the alliance, different teams have staff with different skills to meet the different needs of different people. Working together means the right service can be involved whether there are concerns about emotional well-being or behaviour and mental health. The different services in the CAMHS Alliance deal with a range of issues from common worries that get in the way of everyday life to more serious difficulties that might last or have lasted longer.

All staff in the teams understand that friendly, non-judgemental support is important and can listen, talk, and think together with you, about what is going on and what might help.

We recognise that all of us can fluctuate in our needs across time and that we may need access to varying levels of service and types of support. Taking a step-up and step-down approach aims to ensure that users can access the appropriate service at the right time.


You can find out what the individual teams involved in the CAMHS Alliance offer below and in the City and Hackney CAMHS Alliance directory of services 2023 (PDF 658KB) here.

CAMHS Alliance partner services that provide information and advice

Young Hackney Youth Services 

Youth services and a key partner for external providers offering high-quality inclusive play. Self-referral or sign up to become a Young Hackney member and access activities, and programmes for children and young people aged 6-19 and up to 25 if the young person has special educational needs and or disability.


WAMHS (Wellbeing and Mental Health in Schools) Project

The WAMHS project is an initiative led by the CAMHS Alliance with the support of the Children and Young People’s Integrated Commissioning work stream in City and Hackney. This innovative service aims to improve mental health and well-being support for children and young people in schools, colleges, and specialist and alternative provision education settings in City and Hackney.


Kooth

An online platform that provides free, safe, and anonymous online counseling and support to children and young people aged 11-18. Selferral via website. Ages 11-18 years of age

CAMHS Alliance partner services that provide advice and help

MHST (Mental Health Support Team)

The Mental Health Support Team (MHST) works with children, young people, parents and carers, and school staff to promote emotional well-being. Universal offer of parents workshops through targeted 1:1 support via referral from the school or settings Designated Mental Health Lead.


St Joseph’s Bereavement Service

St Joseph’s is a local hospice that provides care and support for people affected by serious illness, their families, and carers. They use their expertise to provide a Bereavement Support Service for children and Young People and their families. Professional and self-referrals for children under 19 years of age.


Family Action - Well Family Plus (social prescribing)

Hackney Wellfamily Plus Service covers all neighborhood’s GP practices. The service offers holistic assessments, advice, information, and emotional and practical support for people aged 16 and over who are registered with a Hackney GP. 


First Steps

First Steps is an NHS psychology service for children and young people aged 0 – 18 years and their families. To try to ensure there is easy access to the service the First Steps Community Psychology Team runs sessions in the community from Children's Centres and in GP surgeries across Hackney. Self-referral accepted.


Growing Minds

Growing Minds aims to improve children's and young people’s emotional health and well-being during the important transition years from primary to secondary school and secondary school to adulthood. The project supports children and young people aged 9 to 25 of African, Caribbean, and mixed heritage (ACH). Sel-referral and professional referrals are accepted.

CAMHS Alliance partner services that provide more intense advice, help, and support

Re-engagement Unit

The Re-engagement Unit (REU) is a school support and SEMH (social, emotional, and mental health) service that supports and advises children, families, and education providers. Schools can make referrals to the service for support for a child in their setting with parental permission. The service aims to enable all children to be happy and to achieve well in school.


Specialist CAMHS

Specialist CAMHS offers assessment and help to children, young people, and their families with significant emotional, behavioral, and mental health difficulties. The service assesses and treats children and young people who:

  • have symptoms of a serious mental health disorder or difficulty
  • are unable to live a normal life and /or be with other people because of the way they are thinking and feeling about themselves or other people
  • are experiencing serious risks to their emotional and psychological well-being and development because of the way they are thinking and feeling about themselves or other people
  • where there are safeguarding concerns

CAMHS Disability

Specialist NHS service is specifically for children who have additional disabilities AND emotional or behavioural or mental health difficulties, intellectual and learning disabilities in the moderate to profound range. The service works most often with children and young people with learning disabilities, autism, and other types of moderate or profound disability such as a physical disability, genetic disorders, and life-limiting conditions.


Hackney's Children and Families Services 

The Children and Families Clinical Service works with children and young people and their parents and carers who are receiving support from Children's Social Care, Young Hackney, the Family Support Service, and the Youth Offending Team. They offer a full range of CAMHS services including specialist clinical assessments and individual, family, and group therapy. 


Community Eating Disorder Service (CEDS)

The East London Community Eating Disorders Service for Children and Young People (EL CEDS-CYP) provides specialist assessment, treatment, and clinical management for children and young people experiencing an eating disorder and their families.


Off Centre

Off Centre is a counseling, art therapy, advocacy, advice, and psychosocial service for young people who live, work, or study in Hackney and are between the ages of 11 and 25. We help people with all kinds of emotional and practical issues.

CAMHS Alliance Crisis and Risk Support partners

East London CAMHS Extended Crisis Service

The East London CAMHS Crisis Service provides 24-hour support seven days a week to children and young people up until their 18th birthday who are presenting in mental health crisis to Homerton University, Newham University or Royal London Hospitals.

A mental health crisis may include, but is not limited to:

  • Being at risk of immediate and significant self-harm
  • Feeling emotionally or psychologically distressed
  • Having thoughts of suicide
  • Struggling to manage an immediate outburst that puts you or others at risk


Inpatient Service

The Coborn Centre for Adolescent Health is an in-patient and day-patient service for young people who have a serious psychiatric illness including psychosis. Young people from Hackney may attend or be admitted if their support needs are very significant. The Centre is located at Newham General Hospital. 

SEND Local Offer

Local Offer Age Bands
Early Years and Pregnancy 0-4
Primary 4 -10
Secondary 11-14
Preparing for Adulthood 14-18
Young Adults 18 - 25
SEN Provision Type
  • Universal
  • Targeted
  • Specialist

Who to contact

Website
cityandhackneycamhs.org.uk/
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Where to go

Address
Services run from various venues. Please see individual entries for more details

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Disclaimer

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