A mum claims she had to fight “desperately” for months to get support for her autistic son after he suffered a mental health crisis when he started at a new school.
Charlie, now 13 and from Bradford, struggled when he started in 2022 at a mainstream school with 3,500 pupils.
His mother, Katie, said staff at the facility were unable to cope with her son’s special needs, leading to an emergency referral to mental health services and ultimately a transfer to a special needs school.
The West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said timely access to treatment and support was a “priority”.
Katie said Charlie was referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) but it took six months before he was seen in person.
“It was the worst time of my life. I thought I would get help straight away but I had to wait six months to actually see anyone,” she said.
“At that time, we had no idea what to do to help Charlie.”
“Parents have to fight relentlessly to ensure their children get what they deserve and need,” she added.
“It was awful in mainstream schools because there was such a lack of understanding about special needs and autism,” Charlie said.
“It was like I was thrown into the deep end. I had to navigate this big school and it was a bit tough.”
He said teachers were unable to help and he felt like he was “sinking.”
“There’s a long waiting list for mental health support,” he said, adding that he had to take a year off school after the crisis.
“It was the hardest time of my life. There was no routine, no structure, everything was stressful and my mental state deteriorated.”
Data analysed by the BBC has found that more children are using CAMHS than last year.
In the year to February 2023, 35,810 children in West Yorkshire received support through at least one contact through NHS-funded mental health services.
In the year to February 2024, this number increased to 37,430.
“No retreat”
Charlie was able to start a new school a year later and said he found it to be “quiet and relaxing” and made for a better learning environment.
“I feel a lot better. I know I’ll be OK now. I go to a school where the staff cares about me,” he said.
“The whole school feels like one family, which is how I think a school should be.”
But Charlie’s mother said she feels it took too long to organise the help she is now receiving.
“We had to fight tooth and nail for it. We didn’t give up, we didn’t back down.”
West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said it has seen an “increase” in the number of children having at least one visiting session each year, despite workforce shortages and increased demand.
If you are affected by the issues highlighted in this article, you can get help and support via the BBC Action Line.
Follow BBC Yorkshire Facebook, X (formerly Twitter)and InstagramStory Ideas yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.
