Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

The CAMHS Team is our local NHS support service for children and young people. The service consists of a friendly and dedicated team of professionals from a range of professional backgrounds including doctors, psychologists, nurses and other experts who can assist with understanding and supporting young people who are feeling depressed, anxious or who may have conditions such as Autism or ADHD

CAMHS is for children and young people aged 0-18 who live in Westminster or Kensington and Chelsea. All of the staff in CAMHS have been specifically trained to work with children and young people with mental health problems. They can also provide support and information for parents and carers of children who may be suffering mental health problems

The service provides:

• Under 5s Service. Aims to enable the youngest (0-5) children to get off to the best possible start, by promoting positive parent-child attachments and providing an infant/young child mental health perspective, working closely with Children’s Centres offering consultation and joint working to Children's Centre staff. Support and treatment is offered to parents and children who are experiencing problems beyond the ordinary developmental expectations. Here is the link you can follow with more information:  https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/services/community-services/kensington-and-chelsea-and-westminster-under-5s-service

• Early Intervention in Schools. Aims to support the emotional wellbeing of children by ensuring their mental health needs are recognised and addressed at the earliest opportunity in the community. Provision includes training and  consultation for parents and teachers in primary schools, assessment and short term treatment for children.  The focus is on early recognition and intervention for children with emerging mental health difficulties.

• Community CAMHS Assesses and treats children and young people with moderate to severe mental health difficulties (including mental illness) and neuro-developmental  problems, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Evidenced-based approaches are used that are consistent with guidance and best practice.

• Specialist CAMHS. Additional commissioned services for ‘Looked After Children’ (LAC) and support for young people with learning disabilities or neurodevelopment difficulties such as Autism Spectrum Disorder. Input to the Youth Offending Service (YOS) is also available. 

The single point of access phone number to access these services is 0800 023 4650

You also can access more information from the Kensington & Chelsea CAMHS website: 

https://camhs.cnwl.nhs.uk/find-services/clinics/kensington-chelsea-child-adolescent-service-parkside/

We aim to offer an initial assessment for most children within 4 weeks with an additional wait of up to a further 4 weeks for treatment to commence. These times will be shorter if the young person is in crisis or has an urgent condition. Emergency CAMHS services can be accessed 24/7 by visiting the Accident &Emergency department of Chelsea and Westminster or St Mary’s hospitals.

CAMHS offers therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Psychotherapy, Family Therapy; and Psychotherapy, and Medication. We offer a consultation service to other professionals, and specialist mental health input to other partner agencies including the YOS and BFST.

How do you access this service?

Any professional working with children, young people and families can refer a child to the services. This is usually a GP, a member of schools staff or a social worker. If they are unsure whether they should make a referral or a concerned about a child or young person they can contact the service Mon-Fri between 9am and 5pm and speak to the duty CAMHS professional who can provide information and guidance. The duty CAMHS professional can arrange an urgent appointment where necessary.

Parents/Carers and Families - join the CNWL CAMHS Parents and Carers Information and Support Group. More information and contact details can be found here.