The island’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) says it being ‘overwhelmed’ by inquiries from families about assessment and treatment.

CAMHS has experienced unprecedented demand in recent years which has led to a significant increase in waiting times.

Recent investment has enabled it to embark on a waiting list initiative aimed at offering assessment and treatment to more than 800 children and young people over the course of the next 12 months.

A spokesperson said that while it is perfectly understandable that families are extremely keen to secure a timeframe for assessment this has resulted in the CAMHS service receiving an ‘overwhelming volume of enquiries’.

She said: ‘Responding to the current volume of calls received is increasingly having a profound impact on the team’s ability to concentrate resources on the waiting list initiative.

‘The CAMHS team would like to respectfully ask parents and guardians to limit contacts to those requested by them or required in order to keep their children safe.

‘This will enable the team to dedicate more time in realising the ambition of reducing waiting times.

‘Please be assured that the team will proactively reach out to families over the course of the coming months to offer assessment appointments.

‘The team are working tirelessly to see as many children and young people as possible.’

Anyone who has been offered an appointment they no longer need is urged to cancel it as soon as possible, so it can be offered to another family.

If you are worried about your child’s immediate safety, during working hours please call the CAMHS duty team on 642875.

Out of hours, you should call emergency services on 999.