YOUnited

YOUnited supports children and young people with their emotional wellbeing and mental health.

younited logo

YOUnited offers support to children and young people aged 5 to 17 with their emotional wellbeing and mental health. There are four partners involved: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS), Ormiston Families and Centre 33.

Young people, up to the age of 18 years, can be referred to YOUnited, where the difficulties relate to eating concerns or seeking a neurodevelopmental assessment, please see our 'how to refer page' for further information.

For emotional wellbeing and mental health support for 17-25 year olds, please see our 'how to refer page' for further information.

CPFT                                  OF                              C33                     CCS

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

To refer For professionals Help in a crisis

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.

Assessment process

If a referral has been sent to YOUnited and you or your child is going to be offered an assessment for their mental health and emotional wellbeing, and you would like to find out more, take a look below.

Please note this is not in relation to referral for eating disorders or assessment for autism or ADHD. 

WHO does this assessment?

A variety of practitioners, working in each of the 4 teams within YOUnited (CCS, OF, C33, CAMHS) – the assessment is exactly the same regardless of which team does it, we call it a ‘trusted assessment’.

It depends on the age of the person referred, those younger (under 10) we generally complete these with parents, but please let us know if you would like your child to attend. Those 11+years  we do ask the young person to attend but know that having parents there can be really helpful too, so that’s OK. Sometimes other family members or professionals come along too.

If your referrer has requested an assessment with a specific team, this may not be who does the assessment, but don’t worry, as all our assessments are the same across all our teams!

We want this assessment to be as comfortable as possible for you. 

WHAT will I be asked in this assessment?

We want to find out what you/your child is struggling with right now and the current impact it is having.

We ask that you are open and honest with us but know that it can feel really uncomfortable to talk about these difficulties, especially with a stranger.

We will ask some questions about the following things

  • What you are finding difficult right now
  • Mental health & emotional wellbeing difficulties
  • Family & School
  • Historic events that might have impacted you
  • Risk – We know these can be really difficult questions to answer, but we are required to ask everyone these questions
    • This will include questions about self-harm and suicidal thoughts, and questions about any risks from other people. 

HOW will this assessment work?

The referral is reviewed and then placed onto an assessment waiting list.

Someone from YOUnited (usually our admin team) will contact you to arrange this assessment appointment, this could be via telephone, email or text. 

If you are asked to book your own appointment, when booking please ensure you enter the young persons or child’s name that the referral is in relation to, not the name of parent/carer.

It will be via telephone or our online video platform Attend Anywhere (insert link here for more info) – This is just like Zoom or Teams! There are times where we can offer face to face appointments, but we often find that that virtual assessments work just as well, sometimes better!

The assessment will last up to 60 minutes, so make sure you have this time booked out, and you have a safe and confidential place to talk to us.

WHY do I /does my child need this assessment?

We want to try and find out a bit more about what you or your child is struggling with so we can try and identify what support would be most beneficial at the current time. Sometimes referral information is really limited, or a bit unclear, so we want to speak to you about you!

WHEN will this assessment be?

Unfortunately, we currently have a wait for assessment appointments due to receiving a high volume of referrals. The minimum wait time is currently 18 weeks, but we are unable to give a specific timeframe.

We know it can be really hard not knowing, but we do ask that you do not contact us to ask about timescales, as we struggle to respond to these queries. (But if things change for you, particularly your contact details, then please tell us)

We work in the same way as most NHS services, running 9-5, Mon-Fri and therefore our latest appointment time is usually 3:30-4pm. We are happy to provide emails/letters to confirm these appointments to support time out of school/work. We are not able to offer appointments outside of these hours.

What happens after?

At the end of the assessment, we will talk you through the next steps.

It may be really clear what support would be appropriate to help you/your child and we will discuss these options right there and then in the assessment!

At other times, we need to think with our teams what next steps would be helpful, we will let you know if this is the case. We hope to update you within 2 weeks of the assessment. Sometimes we will recommend support outside of YOUnited and onward referrals to other services.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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.

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.

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 this 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 get support, but 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.

 

As a patient

As a patient, relative or carer using our services, sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice, and support. 

Patient Advice and Liaison service  Contact the Trust