In most situations we would expect that supports via the Single Point of Access should be put into place in the first instance. However, there are some situations where a referral direct to CAMHS will be appropriate. The Single Point of Access is not an emergency or urgent response service and the mailboxes are not checked on a daily basis. Please DO NOT send requests for assistance to the Single Point of Access where there are concerns that a child or young person may be at immediate risk.

A referral should be submitted directly to CAMHS for concerns involving:

• Children and young people who have already been well known to CAMHS, or who you think may still be an open case.

• Eating disorder.

• Concern about risk of suicide or serious self-harm.

• Any very unusual or worrying behaviours.

• Sexual abuse and other serious trauma

Only requests for neurodevelopmental assessment should be made through the SPA.  All other requests to Community Child Health, CAMHS, Speech and Language Therapy or Occupational Therapy should be made through the usual routes.

CAMHS referrals should be made using the same Request for Assistance form as the Single Point of Access. This is helpful because, should the decision from CAMHS be that support through the SPA is more appropriate, it can be passed directly over, without having to come back to you to do this. It may also be the case that in addition to CAMHS support, a service through SPA is also appropriate.

Young People and Families can access information about CAMHS via their website:

Child and Adolescent Mental Heath Service (CAMHS) 

The service aims to provide an additional level of support for children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health and wellbeing, where their needs cannot be met through universal supports. The Single Point of Access (SPA) is the system by which children and young people are matched with the most appropriate service for them. Services that can be accessed this way include: school counselling, therapeutic interventions for anxiety and low mood, creative therapies, occupational therapy, support from a mental health youth worker and access to a range of third sector supports. 

The need for additional support should have been identified through the Child’s Planning Process. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Team comprises a Coordinator, Mental Health Youth Workers and an Occupational Therapist.

An RfA to the Single Point of Access can be submitted for mental health concerns involving:

• Anxiety

• Low mood

• Self-harm

• Suicidal thoughts (where there is no clear planning or active intent)

• Peer relationship difficulties

• Family issues (such as separation, conflict, domestic abuse, ill health)

• Bereavement reaction which appears extreme or long lasting

• School issues which are affecting mental wellbeing

• Social isolation

What to include in your referral:

When making a referral please ensure that you include the information below. This will allow the team to determine the most suitable course of action, in as timely a manner as possible. 

• What are the current mental health concerns? Include: the difficulties that the child, young person or family is reporting and what you are noticing about them. What has changed for them?

• What has been tried already and with what outcomes?
  Include: initial advice given, strategies tried, resources/websites recommended, other services/agencies accesses and what the outcome of these interventions was. 

• What are the specific outcomes that you are aiming for?

• What is the impact of the difficulties described on the young person's day to day functioning across settings?
  Include: impact on behaviour at home, socially, school (attendance, academic progress, attitude to school) 

• Any other relevant information about the young person's circumstances
  Include: any triggers for the difficulties emerging, whether the problem is situation specific or more generalised, any relevant history/family history, current family circumstances, particular risk factors, any statutory measures e.g. child protection register

• What protective factors are there?
  Include: strengths in the family, community supports, young person's strengths. 

• Is anyone else involved or have other agencies been involved previously? 

• Are there any current risks that you are concerned about?

Making contact

Completed RfA's should be sent to cypspa@eastlothian.gov.uk. If you would like to discuss a potential RfA, please contact the Mental Health Youth Worker for your area.

Team Coordinator: John Watters-Marr (jmarr@eastlothian.gov.uk)

Tranent: Gemma Burns (gburns@eastlothian.gov.uk)

Prestonpans: Carla Byrne (cbyrne@eastlothian.gov.uk)

Dunbar:  Joy Burton (jburton1@eastlothian.gov.uk)

North Berwick: Michael Cleary(mcleary1@eastlothian.gov.uk)

Musselburgh Grammar and Feeder Primaries:  Danni Spencer (dspencer@eastlothian.gov.uk)   

Rosehill Highschool and Feeder Primaries: Martin Lahiffe (mlahiffe@eastlothian.gov.uk)

Haddington: Martin Lahiffe (mlahiffe@eastlothian.gov.uk) and Michael Cleary(mcleary1@eastlothian.gov.uk)

What is it?

In East Lothian, the process for identifying Neurodevelopmental Conditions such as; Autism, ADHD, Learning/ Intellectual Disability, Developmental Coordination Disorder, FASD and Developmental Language Disorder is through the Neurodevelopmental Pathway.  All referrals for these Neurodevelopmental Conditions need to come through the Single Point of Access.  The Pilot Phase finished in March 2024. 

Once you have submitted your Request for Assistance (RfA), you should receive an email receipt acknowledging your request. All the paperwork is then automatically forwarded to the NHS ND Pathway Team. Any queries following this should be directed to loth.eastndreferrals@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk 

The documents below are aimed to support the process.

The East Lothian Early Years Response Team (EYRT) is a multi-agency network designed to offer relevant and timely support for children with an identified need before they start school. Children who access this service will be deemed to have significant and complex additional support needs affecting their development. Recommended support will be identified using a staged intervention framework, in order to meet specific needs at the right time. Referrals for this service should be made through the Single Point of Access (SPA).

The EYRT panel has active representation from:

• Inclusion & Wellbeing Service (Education)

• Early Learning & Childcare (Additional Support Needs)

• Early Years Outreach

• Health Visiting

• Speech & Language Therapy

• School Nursing (Additional Support Needs)

• Occupational Therapy

With wider support links with the Community Learning Disabilities Nursing team (CLDN), Community Child Health (CCH), Early Years - Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (EY CAMHS) and the Educational Psychology Service (EPS).

The EYRT panel will review Requests for Assistance approximately every two months, and make recommendations for accessing the most appropriate intervention from the range of services available for that child at that time e.g. home play sessions, parenting programmes, support transitioning to an Early Learning & Childcare setting etc. The Early Years Response Team is the main referral pathway to access Education’s 0 – 3 Outreach Service including ‘Kidz Play’ (formerly KidZone).

Requests for Assistance forms are available above and should be submitted to cypspa@eastlothian.gov.uk

The group is chaired by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator and comprises representatives from CAMHS, Social Work, Mental Health Youth Workers (MHYW), MYPAS Counselling Service, representatives from the Neurodevelopmental Pathway team and Early Years Response team. The MHYWs present each child or young person from their area.