Help at Hand supports many children with mental health difficulties who do not have suitable accommodation, therapy, or support available to them. Sometimes this is because the provision is not readily available, or it may be that there is disagreement between NHS and children’s social care services about who is responsible to provide or fund the support the child needs. Help at Hand is contacted by advocates, professionals, and children themselves, often when the situation has reached crisis point.
Below are two recent experiences of children* that have come to Help at Hand:
Joey is a child in care. He had been on the waiting list for several months to receive support from CAMHS. When he finally got his first appointment he was told he was no longer eligible because he had been moved to a different area. Help at Hand got in touch with the local CAMHS service and he was offered an appointment in his local area.
Sihanna is detained under the Mental Health Act. She has spent 2 years in an inappropriate ward where she was only meant to be in the short term. Her mental health has deteriorated in this setting. Help at Hand are in the process of advocating for her to be moved to a more appropriate inpatient setting where she can get the support she needs.
There is more information about Help at Hand and mental health in our annual report and in this blog from November.
Children, advocates and professionals can contact Help at Hand by calling 0800 528 0731, emailing [email protected], or using our online form:
Get in touch | Children’s Commissioner for England (childrenscommissioner.gov.uk)
*Identifying details have been changed
