Mental Health
Children, young people and adults have mental health and it is important to look after it. It is no different from looking after your physical health. If you are having mental health problems, you're not alone. One in four of us will have problems with our mental health at some point in our lives. But there are lots of things that you can do to keep your mind healthy and well.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT)provides child and adolescent mental health services for children and young people. They work with children and young people experiencing mental health or emotional problems. They work with young people up to the age of 17 and their families.
Does your child have a diagnosis of Autism, ADHD or a moderate to severe learning disability? If so, you can access mental health support from the Neurodevelopmental Service. This is available for children and young people up to 18 years.
Mental Health crisis
First Response Service (FRS)
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) have a First Response Service (FRS) for people of any age who are distressed, worried about their mental health or experiencing something that makes them feel unsafe. It provides 24-hour access, seven days a week, 365 days a year, to mental health care, advice and support.
Find out more about the First Response Service.
Suicide - help for individuals and families
STOP Suicide is an award-winning suicide prevention campaign which reaches across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It is led by the charities Mind and Lifecraft in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Fenland
Whatever the mental or physical health diagnosis, if the person you care for has talked about suicide it’s important you take them seriously. In a crisis, help is available 24/7 from the Samaritans on 116 123. In an emergency, call 999.
The Zero Suicide Alliance offers free online suicide prevention training which takes just 20 minutes to complete. Offering the right type of support to someone who is feeling suicidal is crucial.
Grassroots is a suicide prevention charity.
CALM Helpline is dedicated to preventing male suicide and offers confidential emotional support for men through their helpline. Telephone: 0800 58 58 58. Calls are free from landlines and most mobiles. Webchat (5pm-midnight).
Papyrus Hope line UK is a national confidential helpline for young people at risk of suicide. Telephone: 0800 068 41 41
Maytree Sanctuary is open to anyone in a suicidal crisis for a one-off short stay in a safe place. The service is free, and it is open to anyone in the UK. It offers a quiet place to reflect and time to talk in confidence. Telephone: 0207 263 7070
LivingWorks, a leading provider of suicide-alertness training, advises following the acronym TALK:
T – TELL
Someone who is feeling suicidal will be telling you how they feel but perhaps not very directly so be aware of the signs and learn to read them. Do not dismiss them or trivialise them
A – ASK
If you think someone is considering suicide always ask them. You can’t give them the idea of suicide simply by asking, and it is important that you do ask. If they say ‘no’ you haven’t lost anything, and if they say ‘yes’ you have a chance to help.
L – LISTEN
Don’t rush them or judge. Tell them ‘this is important’. Don’t try to offer solutions, just listen. Listening stops people feeling alone, gives hope and provides emotional release.
K – KEEP SAFE
Don't promise secrecy, but don’t leave someone feeling suicidal on their own. Keep yourself and them safe.
Most people who feel suicidal simply want to end their pain, not their life. Many people who have had suicidal thoughts and/or made a suicide attempt look back later and say they are glad to have survived and that the right intervention at the right moment made all the difference. There is nothing inevitable about suicide. It is often a question of knowing how to help and supporting someone through a crisis.
If you have concerns about a child
Without a neurodevelopmental diagnosis
If the young person is under the age of 17 you will need to ask your GP to refer your child to these specialist services.
With a neurodevelopmental diagnosis
For youngsters up to the age of 18 years with a neurodevelopmental diagnosis you can seek a referral from their GP or school.
Over 18 years
If you are 18 or older then will need to ask your GP to refer you to adults’ services.
Keep Your Head
Information on mental health
Growing up and moving into adulthood can be challenging.
This can affect how you feel and have an impact on your well-being and mental health.
Visit the Keep Your Head website which brings together good reliable up to date information on mental health and well-being for children and young people, parents/carers and professionals.
Kooth
You are not alone
Whether you're feeling sad, anxious, or finding life hard, know that you are not alone. Kooth is a community to support young people. Find out more here.
Centre 33
Supporting young people
Supporting young people up to the age of 25 with mental health, caring responsibilities, housing, sexual health and more. Find out more on the Centre 33 website,
Bitesize workshops for anybody working with young people in the Cambridgeshire or Peterborough area
Centre 33 Young Carers Service will be running the following bitesize workshops for anybody working with young people in the Cambridgeshire or Peterborough area.
These digital workshops address key topics in a focussed way. Lasting just 45 minutes to 1 hour, the live sessions will guide you through the common subjects young carers are telling us are important to them.
How are You Peterborough? website
H.A.Y (How are you)
H.A.Y. (How are you) Peterborough are bringing together everything in Peterborough that promotes positive mental health. From a friendly ‘how are you’, to activity groups and much more – it’s all taking care of our mental wellbeing.
Mental health isn’t something that is good or bad; it’s a continuum, a sliding scale, a constantly shifting state for each and every one of us. We all have mental health and so we all need to take care of our mental health – we don’t wait until we’re physically under the weather to do things we know are good for keeping us physically healthy and the same should be true of our mental health.
H.A.Y. Peterborough put a spotlight on all those things going on in the community that are good for our mental wellbeing.
Visit the H.A.Y. Peterborough website to find lots more detail.
YOUnited
Emotional wellbeing and mental health
YOUnited offers help to all young people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough aged up to 17 with the support of a professional.
Referrals can be made to YOUnited by a GP or any professional working with children or young people.
YOUnited is a partnership
YOUnited is a partnership between four organisations. CPFT for Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust for Children’s Wellbeing Practitioners, Centre 33 and Ormiston Families for counselling & guided self-help.
All referrals are triaged and assessed by specialist staff from YOUnited who then work with children and young people, as well as their family or carers if necessary, on the best pathway to support their needs.
Self referral
Young people aged 18 to 25 can self-refer to Centre 33 here or self-refer to MIND's Good Life Service here.
View more details on the YOUnited webapge.
Lifeline Plus
Helpline for people aged 18+
A mental health and wellbeing helpline for people aged 18 and over living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is available Monday-Friday between 9am-2pm via freephone 0808 808 2121
Lifecraft
Supporting individuals who are in mental distress
Lifecraft support those in mental distress are operate a helpline between 2pm-11pm and can be reached using the same freephone number as Lifeline on 0808 808 2121.
Qwell
Online support
Qwell offers online wellbeing support, including educational and self help articles and peer to peer forums. For more information see their website
Additional resources and where to access services
Find some additional resources and where to access services below
Emotional Health and Wellbeing Services - C19 Mental Health Reources
Emotional Health and Wellbeing Services - C19 Parents Mental Health Resources
Emotional Health and Wellbeing Services - C19 Schools Mental Health Resources
This May Help
Being the parent of a teenager can be tough at times, particularly when it comes to mental health.
The mental health advice in these films is practical. These are things you can do that can help to improve the situation you may be in.
The films were developed by parents, carers and service users who got together to share their own experiences. They spoke to experts by experience, service and ex-service users, community mental health nurses, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) doctors and qualified professionals to work out the best and most helpful practical advice possible.
What helped others may also help you.