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Closed petition PE2148: Improve Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to Adult Mental Health Services transition

Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to improve the transition from CAMHS to Adult Mental Health Services by ensuring national referral guidelines and criteria are adhered to.

Background information

There is a crisis in lack of support for CAMHS patients when they turn 18. CAMHS referrals to Adult Mental Health Services have declined. Young vulnerable people are instead inappropriately signposted to the voluntary sector, which cannot provide the specialist support they need. Families are left in limbo when they are incorrectly signposted and turned away from the voluntary sector. This does not follow the clinical process guidance for young people moving between Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Adult Mental Health Services (Transition Care Planning action 21: principles of transition).

https://www.gov.scot/publications/transition-care-planning-action-21-principles-transition/

https://www.publications.scot.nhs.uk/publication/6327

https://syp.org.uk/project/transition-care-plan/

Not addressing this issue risks creating a lost generation that will cost more in the long term.

  • Created by Heather Stitt
  • Date closed 28 January 2026

This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament

Find out about the decisions taken on this petition

103 signatures