Child Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is one of the services provided to support families if and when they face difficult times with their children. Growing up is not always easy, and emotional ups and downs will be part of life for many young people and their families. Mostly, families manage to cope with problems themselves, and become stronger as a result of overcoming them.

Sometimes, however, it is helpful to seek professional support to deal with difficulties. Young people up to the age of 18, and their families, can be referred to local CAMHS for therapeutic help and support. CAMHS teams work together with parents to help children and young people with emotional, behavioural, or psychological difficulties. They help families manage the ordinary emotional difficulties that arise out of life events, such as bereavement, illness, and divorce. They also help with more serious and on-going difficulties, such as eating disorders and self-harm.

Services in Kensington and Chelsea

CAMHS operate across many locations in Kensington and Chelsea. Young people and their families can contact some of these services directly. Others need to be referred from professionals such as a GP, health visitor, school, children's centre, social worker or mental health worker. For the services available, which are listed below, the boundary which splits the borough north and south is Holland Park Avenue.

• Universal services - GPs, health visitors, school teachers, social workers contribute to the emotional and mental well-being of children directly and indirectly, often through preventative work or support for parents.
• Early intervention - Workers specialising in mental health support for children and young people with mild to moderate difficulties and their families.
• Specialist services - These work with young people who have persistent and more complex difficulties, often through multi-disciplinary teams to achieve co-ordinated help and support.
• Hospital/in-patient services - Young people with complex needs that require considerable resources are often treated by hospital in-patient services.

There are additional services for particular groups of children and young people, eg: learning disabilities, involvement with the criminal justice system, children in local authority care.