YOUnited
YOUnited supports children and young people with their emotional wellbeing and mental health.
***SELF REFERRALS***
Young People and Parents / Carers can now refer to YOUnited themselves. Please click HERE for more information and the online referral form.
YOUnited offers support to children and young people aged 5 to 17 with their emotional wellbeing and mental health. There are four partners: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), Cambridgeshire Community Services (CCS), Ormiston Families and Centre 33.
For eating concerns or where a neurodevelopmental assessment is being sought, young people up to the age of 18 years can be referred.
Please see the 'How to Refer' page below for further information.
Before contacting YOUnited with an enquiry, please take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What happens to my information when I refer to YOUnited?
When you self-refer or refer a young person to YOUnited, we will update your / their record with the information you have shared with us. Only the staff that support you / them will have access to this information. It will not automatically be available to anyone outside of YOUnited and is viewed on a strict need to know basis. For further details, please read our privacy notice here.
How long will a referral for an ADHD, ASD or General Developmental Assessment take to be processed?
The average wait time across the service is currently one year. Please note that wait times may fluctuate in each area. Due to the high volume of queries, we are unable to respond to individual requests/complaints relating to wait times.
Whilst waiting, please take a look at the YOUnited Neurodevelopmental Resources for Families . Further advice regarding sensory issues, communication and behaviour is available on the Cambridge Community Services website.
Nationally, there is a very high demand for CAMHS neurodevelopmental services and within CPFT CAMHS, we have long waiting lists for diagnostic assessments for both ADHD and ASD.
We sincerely apologise for the extended wait times and understand the frustration, anxiety, and distress that this may cause. We would like to reassure you that we are working hard to address the increased demand on the neurodevelopmental service.
If you or your child/young person requires support whist waiting for an appointment with us, this can be offered through other CAMHS Teams or outside agencies. You do not need to wait for your assessment in order for immediate support to be put into place.
If my child has a private neurodevelopmental diagnosis, what happens if we are seeking treatment through the NHS?
Please note that we will only consider a review of a private neurodevelopmental diagnosis if a medication review is being requested or if support is being sought for an accompanying mental health difficulty.
If you are seeking medication following a private diagnosis e.g. sleep medication, anxiety relating to autism or ADHD medication, all original assessment documents will need to be sent with the referral (including diagnostic assessment tools as well as the final report.
Once we receive these documents, we will send further information about how the local CAMHS teams will process private diagnoses. Please see above for approximate timescales.
Review of external/private diagnoses are subject to usual waiting times for new neurodevelopmental assessments to ensure equity of care. Mental health support can be accessed within this time without the need for a diagnosis via YOUnited or another service.
If taking medication, the private prescriber holds clinical responsibility until the diagnosis is agreed and the young person has seen an NHS Psychiatrist or Nurse Prescriber for a medication review.
Where the external/private assessment does not meet the standards set out in NICE guidance then NHS services cannot provide further treatments, such as medication, on the basis of it. Families are made aware upon consenting to an NHS referral that an outcome of the ratification processes may be that the diagnosis is removed.
Where can I find information on 'Right to Choose' neurodevelopmental assessments?
Locally Cambridge and Peterborough services have yet to agree a position to advise families wanting to access these assessments as the clinical rigour, and time frames varies between providers. We therefore cannot currently give any advice at this time.
How long is the wait once a referral has been submitted for mental health?
Once the referral has been triaged by the referral hub team and YOUnited are able to offer support, an acceptance letter will be sent out and an initial contact will be offered so we can find out a bit more about the young person and identify the support that best fits their needs. We aim to be in contact within 12 to 15 weeks, but please be aware that waiting times can vary. Please note we are unable to respond to requests via emails or phone calls regarding waiting times. Please check the section informationonwhatyoucanexpectfromthis contact andhowbesttoprepareforit:
Following this initial contact there will be a further wait if the need for ongoing support is identified . We cannot give accurate information on the length of waits for individual therapeutic interventions with partner services.
Please see the section below entitled 'What happens once a referral has been received by YOUnited' forinformationonwhatyoucanexpectfromthis contact andhowbesttoprepareforit:
My child has been referred and their mental health is deteriorating. What should I do?
Please contact the person who helped make the referral to discuss concerns in the first instance. If worried a child is at immediate risk of self harm, making plans to end their life or has harmed themselves with intent to end their life please contact the First Response Service on 111 option mental health who are available 24/7, or attend a medical setting.
If there are risks involving others and you believe a child or young person is at risk please consider if children’s social care or the police may need to be contacted.
My first language isn’t English. Can I get an interpreter?
Yes, absolutely, this requires a little bit more setting up, but we will ensure you can access our assessment fully. Please make it clear on the referral and we will do the rest.
I am fully/partially deaf. Can I have a British Sign Language interpreter?
Yes, this will take a bit more planning, and sometimes we ask school etc. to help with this to ensure we can arrange it as best as we can. Please make it clear on the referral and we will do the rest.
What if I can’t make my appointment?
Please let us know as soon as possible. We know that emergencies happen, but we ask, where possible, you let us know with 24 hours notice if you cannot make your appointment. If you do not attend and we are not made aware, then we may assume support is not required and close the referral to YOUnited.
We don’t need the YOUnited assessment anymore. What should I do?
Please contact us to let us know, so that we can close the referral.
I didn’t consent to this referral being made. What should I do?
Please contact the professional who completed the referral and inform us so that we can close the referral if this is your wish.
I am a parent and want my child to access support. What if my child is refusing?
There are times, for younger children where we can offer parent led support. However, for those children (generally) aged 11+ we do require the young person to be wiling and feel able to engage with us. It is really important that we take their wishes and views seriously, and this may mean closing the referral. We understand how difficult this must be as a parent, and will do our best to make recommendations.
Please consider if an Early Help Assessment and support from a Family Worker or Young People’s Worker would help build a trusting relationship for difficulties around accessing support in the first instance. Advice for Cambridgeshire is available here. For Peterborough, please click here.
Can YOUnited provide advice on medication?
YOUnited are unable to give any advice about any medication as we are not a prescribing service. CAMHS can only offer advice if a young people is currently open to their service.
In the first instance a young person would always be encouraged to access therapeutic interventions available through YOUnited. Medication may be an option, if this is deemed appropriate, but in most cases only once talking therapies have been previously been tried.
If a young person is already taking medication prescribed by CAMHS then the young person is eligible for a review and this can be requested.
If the medication has been prescribed by a different provider (including private providers) the original prescriber retains responsibility for issuing prescriptions. If a young person meets criteria for CAMHS support and is already on medication, this will be discussed with the multidisciplinary team and the original prescriber should continue until a time that CAMHS has agreed to take over responsibility.
I want to refer for a dyspraxia or dyslexia assessment. How do I do this?
Please ask school or GP for a referral to Occupational Therapy or call their advice line Monday to Friday between 8:30am to 4:30pm.
- Telephone number - 0300 029 50 50
- Email address - ccs-tr.therapyreferrals@nhs.net
- Professionals - training, resources, referral forms and guidance
Contact us
Clinicians and administration staff are available 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). The contact number and email below is for professionals only for discussion and consultation of non-crisis referrals.
T: 0300 3000 830 | E: younited@cpft.nhs.uk
How to Refer Help in a Crisis Neurodevelopmental Resources for Families Resources for Carers
For important information for professionals, please click here
Digital resources
YOUnited has worked with families, young people and children - in partnership with Taproot - to research and promote digital information, self-help and e-therapy resources as part of the services it provides.
Though the following links below we have curated some of the best available resources and support recommended by age and level of need. Simply click on the tab that applies to you and then the subject you're interested in - and you'll find a wide range of useful apps and websites.
Feedback from Young People and Parent / Carers
What happens once a referral has been received by YOUnited?
When you’ve been referred to YOUnited for mental health and emotional wellbeing support, you will be offered an initial appointment so we can find out a bit more about you and identify the support that best fits your needs. The appointment will either be in person, via video call or telephone.
You will have the appointment with one of the YOUnited partners; NHS Child and Adolescence Mental Health Service (CAMHS), Ormiston Families or Centre 33. If you attend a school that has a Mental Health Support Team (MHST), we may refer you to them to have an initial appointment instead.
We will ask some questions about:
- What you are finding difficult right now
- Your mental health and emotional wellbeing
- Your daily life (e.g. sleep, eating, exercising, socialising, school attendance)
- Your strengths and what is going well
- Relationships/family/friends
- Difficult experiences you have had in the past
- If you have any thoughts of self-harm and/or thoughts of ending your life
- If you or someone you know is or might be at risk of harm from someone else
If we decide together that ongoing support would be helpful for you and your mental health, please be aware that there will be a further wait for this. This could be guided self-help, counselling or another form of talking therapy. We might also decide together at your appointment that no further mental health support is needed — sometimes having a space to talk through everything is enough. Whilst waiting for your appointment, we encourage you to explore a variety of online resources, apps and other material about mental health and emotional wellbeing. You can find out more in our digital resources section.
Good to know:
- Our opening hours are Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and appointments will only be offered within this time.
- Appointments for a young person under 10 will generally be with the parent.
- Those 11-12 years we ask you to attend with your parent/carer.
- If you are aged 13+, we will encourage you to be by yourself in the appointment, but you can have a trusted adult with you for some or all of it if you need.
As a patient, relative or carer using our services, sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice, and support.