Acting on Eating Disorder Concerns in a Child
Eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED). They affect children of any weight, gender, ethnicity, or background. Early intervention dramatically improves recovery — NICE guidance (NG69) recommends treatment within four weeks of first contact for under-19s. You do not need a diagnosis or a GP referral to call Beat for advice, and you do not need the young person's permission to seek help.
Immediate danger — call 999
If a child has fainted, has chest pain, is unable to keep fluids down, has very low body temperature, looks confused or drowsy, or has taken laxatives, diuretics or diet pills in dangerous quantities, call 999 or take them to A&E. Refeeding-related medical emergencies are time-critical.
What to report
- •Rapid or significant weight loss, or failure to gain expected weight in a growing child
- •Skipping meals, eating in secret, hiding food, or rigid food rules around 'safe' and 'unsafe' foods
- •Evidence of purging — frequent bathroom visits after meals, signs of vomiting, laxative packets
- •Excessive or compulsive exercise, including at unusual hours
- •Distorted body image, body-checking, fear of weight gain, or social withdrawal around food
How to report
Beat — Youth helpline 0808 801 0711
When to use
When the person affected is under 18 and the young person or a supporting adult wants to talk it through
How to contact
Call 0808 801 0711 (free, 3pm–8pm weekdays, 4pm–8pm weekends and bank holidays). One-to-one web chat and email also available at beateatingdisorders.org.uk.
What to expect
Beat trained advisers will listen, share information about treatment options, and help you plan a GP conversation. They do not diagnose. They can also signpost to local Beat support groups and to the family support service.
Beat — Adult helpline 0808 801 0677
When to use
When the supporting adult — parent, carer, teacher — wants information and emotional support for themselves
How to contact
Call 0808 801 0677 (same hours as the youth line). Email [email protected].
What to expect
Same service model as the youth line, framed for adults supporting someone else. Beat also runs Nexus, a programme of online groups for parents and carers.
Beat — One-to-one web chat
When to use
When the young person cannot or does not want to talk on the phone
How to contact
Access the web chat from beateatingdisorders.org.uk/get-information-and-support/get-help-for-myself/. Free, anonymous, same hours as the helplines.
What to expect
Chat is staffed by trained advisers. The young person can write at their own pace. No referral is made to anyone else without their request, except where Beat believe there is an imminent risk to life.
GP — referral to community CAMHS or Tier 3 ED service
When to use
When you want a clinical assessment and treatment plan, including FBT-AN (Family-Based Treatment) where appropriate
How to contact
Book a routine or urgent GP appointment. Ask explicitly for a referral to the local CAMHS eating disorder service or community ED team. NICE NG69 sets a four-week first-contact target for under-19s.
What to expect
Most areas have a dedicated CAMHS Community Eating Disorder Service (CEDS). First appointment includes physical health checks (heart rate, blood pressure lying and standing, BMI, blood tests). Family-Based Treatment is the recommended first-line approach for anorexia in under-19s.
NHS 111 — option for physical concern
When to use
When you are worried about physical decline — dizziness, fainting, heart rate, or after a purging episode — but it is not 999
How to contact
Call 111 or use 111.nhs.uk. Be specific about purging behaviours, fluid loss, and any medication taken in excess.
What to expect
111 may direct you to A&E, an urgent treatment centre, or an out-of-hours GP. Medical risk in eating disorders can be hidden — clinicians use the MEED guidance for medical emergencies in eating disorders.
F.E.A.S.T. — parent support
When to use
When parents and carers want practical day-to-day support from other families living through treatment
How to contact
Use feast-ed.org. F.E.A.S.T. runs the Around the Dinner Table forum, parent guides, and webinars. International but UK-active.
What to expect
F.E.A.S.T. is a peer support and education charity, not a treatment provider. It is widely used alongside NHS family-based treatment and is endorsed by clinicians.
Evidence checklist
Gather this information before or during your report. Do not delay reporting while collecting evidence — but preserve what you can.
- Approximate weight history over the last 6-12 months, if known, and growth chart data from school or GP
- A 3-7 day food and eating-behaviour log — meals offered, what was eaten, behaviours around the table
- Notes on purging, exercise patterns, and bathroom routines
- Any laxative, diuretic, or diet-pill packaging found
- Records of school attendance and PE participation changes
- Names of any current GP, school nurse, CAMHS worker or private therapist already involved
What to say
You do not need to use a script, but this template may help if you are nervous about making the call. Adapt it to your circumstances.
"I am very concerned that my [son / daughter / the young person I support], aged [age], may be developing an eating disorder. Over the last [weeks / months] I have noticed [specific behaviours and physical changes — be concrete]. They have / have not been weighed recently. They are / are not currently eating. I am calling because [I want advice on what to do next / I want a GP referral / I am worried about their physical safety today]. I have read NICE NG69 / I have not — please tell me what to expect."
What happens next
After a GP appointment, an under-19 should be referred to the local Community Eating Disorder Service (CEDS) with a NICE-recommended four-week first-contact target. The first assessment covers mental and physical health and usually involves the parent or carer. The recommended treatment for anorexia in under-19s is FBT-AN (Family-Based Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa), typically 18-20 sessions over 6-12 months. For bulimia and binge eating disorder, family-based or CBT-ED approaches are used. If medical risk is high — using the MEED tool — the young person may need inpatient medical stabilisation before psychological treatment can begin. School should be informed and an Individual Healthcare Plan put in place to support attendance and meals.
What not to do
- ✗Do not comment on the young person's weight, body shape, or specific foods — focus on behaviours, eating, and safety
- ✗Do not negotiate with the eating disorder — bargaining over portion size or 'safe' foods reinforces it
- ✗Do not wait for the young person to reach a particular BMI before seeking help — eating disorders are dangerous at any weight
- ✗Do not search pro-anorexia or pro-recovery social media for advice — the algorithms harm both the young person and the supporting adult
- ✗Do not assume only girls are affected — around a quarter of under-18 eating disorder referrals are boys, and rates are rising in non-binary young people
Frequently asked questions
The young person refuses to see the GP — what can I do?
You can attend the GP yourself first, share what you have observed and the food and behaviour log, and ask for advice. The GP can ring the young person in, send a letter, or refer for assessment based on parental concern. Under-16s do not get to refuse safeguarding action where physical health is at risk. Beat (0808 801 0711) can rehearse the GP conversation with you.
Will my child be sectioned or hospitalised?
Most under-19s are treated as outpatients using Family-Based Treatment. Inpatient admission is reserved for medical or psychiatric emergencies and is usually short. Use of the Mental Health Act in under-18 eating disorders is rare and a last resort. The MEED guidance helps clinicians make these decisions transparently.
We have been told the local CAMHS waiting list is months long — is that acceptable?
No, not for a suspected eating disorder in an under-19. NICE NG69 recommends first contact within four weeks. If you are quoted longer, ask in writing why NG69 is not being followed, escalate to the service manager, and ring Beat for advice on next steps. In urgent medical risk, A&E and the duty consultant override routine waiting lists.
Sources and further information
- MEED — Medical Emergencies in Eating Disorders — Royal College of Psychiatrists
- F.E.A.S.T. — Around the Dinner Table — F.E.A.S.T.
This guidance is for informational purposes. It is not a substitute for emergency services or professional safeguarding support. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999 (UK) or 911 (US) now.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. This page provides general educational information, not legal or professional safeguarding advice. UK helplines and legislation may change — verify current details with the relevant organisation.