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Crisis Assessment and Intensive Support Team (CAIST) under 18

  • Our Crisis Assessment and Intensive Support Team (CAIST) provides intensive support to young people in the community who are open to our core services. CAIST carries out emergency assessments for those who attend Accident and Emergency departments in Norfolk under the age of 18 years.

  • Service Manager Lead: Katy Hall
  • Service Contact: Telephone 01553 609933
  • Address:
    CAIST - West,  Thurlow House,  Goodwins Road, King's Lynn, PE30 5PD
  • Service hours: Office hours from 9:00 to 17:00.

What this service offers

The CAIST service offers:  

  • Emergency assessments at Accident and Emergency departments in local acute hospitals, 7 days a week from 8:00 until 20:00  

  • Intensive support to prevent admission into specialist psychiatric hospitals 

  • Continued support for service users within our core services 

  • Care planning and risk assessments to support ongoing treatment 

  • Consultation and training for professionals 

  • Intensive support to facilitate discharge and ongoing community-based therapeutic interventions 

  • Referrals to, and liaison with, multi-agency partners such as: GPs, schools, children’s services.  

Children and young people can be reviewed in their own homes, at school or further educational settings, children’s wards or Accident and Emergency departments of local hospitals.  

Our teams are staffed by Nurses, Social workers, Art Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Assistant Practitioners, Psychologists and Psychiatrists.  

Our Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment service provide service users with consultation and advice outside of the hours of 8:00 to 20:00.

Access this service

When a young person attends an acute hospital and requires an emergency assessment of their mental state and risk, the hospital will contact CAIST to provide this assessment. If a GP refers the young person for an emergency assessment CAIST will also support them.  

To access the CAIST service hospitals or GPs should request a consultation via the relevant area specific duty team.  

CAIST will try to complete a face-to-face assessment within four hours. This would be at the Accident and Emergency department of the local hospital.  

When a young person requires increased support in the community, CAIST will offer an intensive treatment plan that is more suited to them during this time.  

Visiting and onsite facilities

Listed below are the CAIST clinic locations. Free parking is available at all of these sites and clinics are held on the ground floor for ease of access.  

  • 80 St Stephens Road, Norwich, NR1 3RE  

  • Mary Chapman House, Hotblack Road, Norwich, NR2 4HN  

  • Thurlow House, Goodwins Road, King’s Lynn, PE30 5PD  

  • Northgate Clinic, Silverwood Child and Family Centre, Northgate Hospital, Northgate Street, Great Yarmouth, NR30 1BU.  

How this service support carers including friends and family

CAIST provides support to families, carers and friends to help them support the young person.

Websites and resources you may find useful

  • CAMHS – Telephone 01943 337601  

  • Youth service – Telephone 01493 337738  

  • Eating Disorder service – Telephone 01493 337666  

  • Young Minds – Telephone 0808 802 5544 or visit the website at www.youngminds.org.uk. If in crisis text YM to 85258  

  • Mind – Telephone 020 8519 2122 or visit the website at www.mind.org.uk  

  • Norfolk County Council – Telephone 0344 800 8020 or visit the website at www.norfolk.gov.uk  

  • MAP – Telephone 01603 766994 or visit the website at www.map.uk.net  

  • Child line – Telephone 0800 1111  

  • Samaritans – Telephone 116 123  

  • Papyrus Hopeline UK – Telephone 0808 068 4141  

  • Emotiona Health - Just One Norfolk - www.justonenorfolk.nhs.uk/emotional-health

Urgent help

If you are a service user and are in crisis and need support urgently you can contact your service on the number which will have been provided.  

Call 111 and select the mental health option to speak to our 24 hour mental health crisis line.

If you are with someone who has attempted suicide, call 999 and stay with them until the ambulance arrives. 

If anyone is at serious risk of harm, call 999 and ask for the police. 

For non-life threatening medical situations, call NHS111 on 111.  

For more information, see Help in a Crisis. 

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