The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is a specialist family-focused service that provides assessment and treatment for infants, children and adolescents (0-15 years) with complex mental health problems.

CAMHS comprises a team of professionals including child psychiatrists, occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses.

CAMHS provides assessment and treatment for a range of concerns that include for example:

  • Severe anxiety and depression
  • Self harm
  • Difficulty in relating to others
  • Suicide attempts or thoughts
  • Other symptoms related to emotional problems
  • Stress
  • CAMHS provides an assessment service for autism spectrum disorder.

CAMHS also provides a service to infants and their parents when there are concerns such as persistent crying, sleep disturbance, feeding difficulties, gaze avoidance, parental concern about infant development, tantrums, aggression and failure to thrive.

CAMHS also provides secondary consultation where appropriate.

Referral guidelines

At first contact, a CAMHS intake worker will discuss concerns and arrange an appointment with a CAMHS staff member, or assist the referrer to find the best possible service for the young person.

Page last updated: July 23, 2024