Care Leavers - Your health and development

When you leave care we will provide you with a ‘leaving care final health assessment report’. This report contains some very important information about your health including your blood type, the dates of your immunisations and the name of your GP. This will be useful to you when you access other health services as an adult.

Also, you can access your CIC nurse until your 19th birthday. This means that you can continue to discuss private matters with someone that knows you, providing consistency and privacy”.

Remember: It is important that you look after your health assessment report.

Doncaster Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service provides mental health assessments, therapy and interventions for children, young people up to the age of 18 years and their families or identified carers when the child and young person is experiencing emotional or mental health difficulties.

If you need to talk to someone please speak to your PA, support worker or key worker who will be able to refer you for counselling if this is what you want.

Doncaster Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CAMHS) ‘Self-Referral’ clinic continues to be provided at:

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – Community Services – Doncaster

The Crystal Building,

Located near the entrance of Tickhill Road Site,

Weston Road Site.

DN4 8QN

Tel: 01302 796191

This resource is to enable young people to speak to a practitioner during the drop-in sessions on a one-to-one basis where it can be determined if a referral to the service is required. Should a referral to CAMHS not be felt necessary then information will be provided on other local services that may meet their needs.

You may also wish to contact the Single Point of Access Team for consultation and advice, prior to submitting a referral.

Remember: 

If you are struggling with anything, speak to someone about it – don’t bottle it up!

If you would like more information, please call Doncaster CAMHS Single Point Access team on 01302 566728 or 566729. Alternatively, please contact the admin team on 01302 796191.

If emergency support or advice is needed, and this is within normal working hours, please contact the CAMHS Duty team on 01302 796191.

If this is out of normal working hours, please contact the Adult Single Point of Access (SPA) Team on 01302 566999.

After your 19th birthday, you should contact the adult mental health services via the NHS website.

There are lots of services available to care leavers in Doncaster. Some are provided by the leaving care team and others are accessed through your GP but, either way, your leaving care case worker will be able to signpost you to the right support. Find services near you on the NHS website. 

• Primary health needs - Your GP will continue to be your main contact for your primary health needs and any general problems you may have. You can find your local GP service here.
• Health emergencies - For emergency treatment you will need to go to your local accident and emergency department or telephone 999 and ask for an ambulance. Your local A&E services can be found here. For non-emergencies you can call the NHS 111 service for advice and signposting.
• Sexual health - Your sexual health is an important part of your physical and mental health as well as your emotional and social wellbeing. There are many ways to look after your sexual health and care for yourself. You can find out about contraception and condoms and being tested for sexually transmitted diseases here. Your PA can also provide you with free condoms and arrange for you to access advice, support and emergency treatment should you need it.
• Addiction support – Getting the right support is very important for young people who find themselves struggling with addiction. The leaving care service offers a specialist support service called Aspire. Aspire is a partnership organisation set up by Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) and registered charity The Alcohol & Drug Service (ADS).You can find information about our drug and alcohol support service here. If you feel you need support to access this service speak to your PA who can complete a referral with you.

Key things to remember: 

• Being in good sexual health means you are well informed, careful and respectful to others. The better informed you are, the better prepared you will be to make good choices.
• Aspire can provide both one-to-one support and group therapy to help you overcome drug and alcohol addiction

Visiting the dentist regularly will not only help keep your teeth and mouth healthy but will also help keep the rest of your body healthy.

We will support you to register with an NHS dentist or to travel to a neighbouring NHS dentist if the one closest to you is not taking on any new patients. If there isn’t a neighbouring NHS dentist available within a reasonable distance, we will make sure you are able to access essential treatment when you need it.

Key things to remember: 

Dental care is important because it helps prevent tooth decay and protects against gum disease which can lead to tooth loss.

Having an eye test will not just tell you if you need glasses or a change in prescription if you already wear glasses – it is also an important eye health check.  We will support you to access regular appointments with an optician.

Key things to remember: 

An optician can spot many general health conditions and early eye conditions before you’re even aware of any symptoms, many of which can be treated if found early enough.  

Currently: In partnership with DCLT, we are able to offer all of our care leavers a leisure pass completely free of charge for one year.  The pass covers Gym, Swim and Classes.  Or if you would prefer you can have a free leisure pass for 6 months and get 24 free ice-skating passes.

Please speak to your PA for further information about accessing this.