Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMH)

Children and Young People’s Psychological Services (CYPPS) is a secondary-level specialist service, working with children and young people up to the age of 16 years.

We offer specialist psychological assessment and therapeutic intervention with children, young people and, where appropriate, parents or carers. CYPPS works with children and young people with moderate to severe difficulties for example, mood, anxiety and behaviour.

Typically the children and young people we work with have already accessed some kind of support. For example, counselling. Where first-line intervention has not yet been tried and is likely to be helpful (or sometimes essential for psychological therapy to be beneficial), then this should be undertaken prior to a request for involvement with CYPPS.

For example, an Early Help assessment might be required, Aiming Higher or Cygnet group in relation to Autism, ADHD North West, Mental Health Support Teams within school, Children and Young People’s Well-being Practitioners. Within schools, Primary Mental Health Workers and Educational Psychology assessments or consultation can also be accessed.

How to access

You can be referred to our service by a professional, for example GP or a teacher.

Alternatively, you can self-refer here.

Useful resources

The following websites offer further information around children’s emotional well-being, which might be useful to explore:

• Healthy Young Minds website
• Young Minds website
• Anxiety UK website
• The Sleep Charity website

Contact us

CYPPS is based at Whitegate Drive Health Centre, Whitegate Drive, Blackpool FY3 9ES. Our telephone number is 01253 957 166.

Information leaflet

The CYPPS information leaflet is now available online. 

Working together as CAMHS, both Children and Young People’s Psychological Services (CYPPS) and East Lancashire Child and Adolescent Service (ELCAS) provide specialist provision for children and young people with a broad range of emotional health, psychological distress and mental health disorders. We aim to provide a single route of access to our specialist services for children, young people and their families. 

A single referral process (SRP) has been developed between CYPPS and ELCAS which involves weekly meetings between CYPPS and ELCAS which means that referrals can be directed and allocated to the most appropriate service, whilst taking account of clinical need. A general rule of thumb is to consider whether a young person can be supported by a single psychologist or psychological practitioner co-working with other agencies (if so, then refer to CYPPS) or whether the young person requires intensive psychiatric intervention and/or interventions from a multi-disciplinary team (if so, then refer to ELCAS).

Please see below for further information about each service.

Children and Young People’s Psychological Services (CYPPS) information.

East Lancashire Child and Adolescent Service (ELCAS) information. 

Preston:

Children's Psychological Services
Avondale Unit
Royal Preston Hospital
Sharoe Green Lane North
Fulwood
Preston
PR2 9HT

Telephone: 01772 777344

Children's Psychological Services:

Longlands CDC

Westbourne Drive

Lancaster

LA1 5EE

Child Psychology: 01524 550 020

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and ADHD:

Altham Meadows

Bartholomew Road

Morecambe

Lancashire

LA4 4RR

CAMHS: 01524 550 650

ADHD: 01524 550 660

Email: CAMHSCPS&ADHDService@lscft.nhs.uk

Please note as of December 2024 we will be moving to Harvey House in Lancaster, more information about this change can be found on our dedicated webpage. 

Our main base is in Whitegate Drive Health Centre in Blackpool.

Children's Psychological Services Fylde Coast
2nd Floor Whitegate Health Centre
Whitegate Drive
Blackpool
FY3 9ES

Telephone: 01253 957166
Email: camhscps.f&w@lscft.nhs.uk

We offer specialist mental health advice, support and assessment and service the West Lancashire area.

Address:

West Lancashire CAMHS
Westgate House
Tanhouse Road
Skelmersdale
WN8 6DS

Telephone: 01695 684 262

The primary clinical focus of the service is to:

• Offer psychological consultation to social workers and other staff working with children and young people who are Looked After by Lancashire County  Council (LCC) as well as children adopted
• Provide psychological advice and support to adoptive families, foster carers and residential staff regarding children and young people in the care of LCC.
• Provide training sessions, alongside partner agencies, to adoptive families as well as  foster carers looking after LCC children
• Following initial consultations, carry out specialist assessment work and therapeutic interventions for children and young people adopted and those in the care of LCC

The service provides a targeted service to children and young people adopted and those in the care of LCC. Referrals to the service are usually made by the referred child's Social Worker.

We do not provide a court assessment service or forensic assessments.

All referrals should be made using our referral form. To request a referral form please email CYPSCAYT@lancashire.gov.uk

Telephone/email discussion and enquiries are always welcome, but a referral form needs to be completed for a service to be provided.

Telephone: 01772 538880

Blackpool Local Authority has access to a small team of clinical psychologists who are commissioned to provide a service for our children in local authority care. The service accepts referrals from Blackpool social workers for children who are subject to a care order, such as a Section 20, Interim Care Order or Full Care Order.  The referral can be made to request support for any presenting emotional, behavioural or psychological concerns; for advice or help with direct working or with understanding recommendations from independent reports; for support for the carers to enable them to understand and offer trauma informed therapeutic care to meet the child’s needs; or other aspects of concern in the child’s situation or presentation.  

The clinical psychologists offer consultation to social workers and this may involve offering joint consultation sessions to foster carers, residential staff or connected carers/ family members, or to signpost the children or carers to other services who may be able to help. The psychologists can also offer consultation to other professionals who are part of the team around the child/young person, for example, education or other health staff.  

On a small number of occasions (where there is an agreed need and no other service is appropriate/available to signpost to), the clinical psychologists can offer some highly specialist therapeutic sessions to help support attachment difficulties, recovery from the impact of trauma and build stronger relationships between our children and their carers/families.   

The clinical psychologists also regularly offer training for foster carers, connected carers and residential staff to help them provide trauma informed parenting to meet the needs of the children and young people. They also offer training to social workers as requested. They offer monthly drop in sessions for foster carers where no referral is required to attend.

Referrals:

Referrals to the service are made by the referred child's Blackpool Local Authority social worker or the Blackpool fostering team social workers. The service does not provide a court assessment service or forensic assessments. 

Telephone/email discussion and enquiries are always welcome, but a referral form needs to be completed for a service to be provided.

Telephone: 01253 957 166 
 

Specialist Tier 3 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) are available in Cumbria and can be referred to if the difficulties with mental health are escalating.

Tier 3 CAMHS is a service for children, young people and families with significant, severe, complex or persistent emotional, mental health, psychological and/or relationship difficulties.

This could include:

• Anxiety/Mood disorders
• ADHD/ADD
• Self-Harm
• Eating disorders
• Obsessive Compulsive disorder
• Post traumatic Disorder
• Somatic Disorder
• Psychotic Disorders
• More than one mental health condition
• Severe behavioural problems (as part of any of the above)

The Tier 3 CAMHS team members include a range of mental health professionals and specialists who are trained and experienced in working with young people and their families.

MyTime is a Tier 2 CAMHS service and offers support for children and young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues by providing early targeted interventions, usually through around 6-8 sessions. The service also provides advice and support to parents, carers, school staff and others working in children's services across the county.

CAMHS South (South Lakes and Furness)
Alfred Barrow Health Centre
Duke Street
Barrow -in-Furness
LA14 2LB

Telephone: 01225 408660
Email: CAMHSSouth@lscft.nhs.uk

Healthy Young Minds online support and information

The health and care system in Lancashire and South Cumbria have created a website which provides information, support and resources for children and young people, their parents and carers and professionals who support them.

Access the Healthy Young Minds website