It's upsetting to hear people having awful experiences with CAHMS, I have mixed feeling about them but they honestly helped me. Up until I saw CAHMS, I was ripped out of school, thrown around with exposure therapists as a young child, constantly belittled, treated like a "bad kid" and overall received nearly no help despite serious prevailing issues.
CAHMS were the first people to actually listen to me, the helped me reach diagnosis and to somewhat understand myself. There are a few things I did dislike about them however, they always urged me to speak about things I couldn't speak about and resulted in me bringing up repressed memories that I didn't think caused me any issues until I was forced to speak (never in detail, just in passing). Also, they seem to throw around anti-depressants too much, which clearly weren't suitable for me and sent me into disastrous mania, but all-in-all, I feel like I had more of a positive experience with them than negative.
CAMHS for me has helped with diagnosis, i used to be really REALLY depressed before people helped. and at the beginning it seemed like they were going to keep on helping, they helped me start eating again and they got me a social worker to help and it was very nice
but it took a shift all of a sudden when i realised that i can't take my meds forever and i have to get better without them someday
my social worker abandoned me
the connection between CAHMS and the police and how much information they shared about me was embarrassing, there was very little information shared between both parties even though that was very important
and when CAHMS sent more information about me for a second court date (i wasnt the one in trouble, and the only reason why formed a stronger connection with the police is because i was diagnosed with asperger's) the defense was even harsher against me even though it was supposed to make things better than last time
i realised that they kept on asking the same questions, it was tormenting me and they put me in the hot seat so many times
i also realise that they do work hard, but they also convinced my mom for a couple of days that i shouldn't be playing violent video games (SUPER SMASH BROS, A VIOLENT VIDEO GAME IN THE EYES OF CAHMS) and there were other things that my mom listened to that were very questionable, like a very limited phone usage, but they will never understand how i dont have friends irl, and i tell them this because all of my friends are online friends and i dont have much of those either
but anyway, i'm still grateful for some of the things they've done for me
it just slowly fell apart in my own world
i'm also glad you got the help you needed from them, i think they have told me that CAHMS isn't for everyone