Children Looked After Mental Health Service
This page gives information and referral routes for the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) team that works specifically with Looked After Children, for the core CAMHS teams in Lambeth and information about obtaining mental health services for looked after children who live outside the borough.
If you are in need of mental health services for children you work with, please read the following sections carefully to ensure that you refer to the correct services. Referral forms for these services can be obtained by clicking on the underlined link in the relevant section.
The Children Looked After Mental Health Service (CLAMHS)
CLAMHS staff are employed by the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, and work as part of Lambeth CAMHS. We are based full time in Social Services. The service is funded through CAMHS Modernisation Money and works exclusively with children looked after by Lambeth Social Services.
CLAMHS provides two clinical services:
1. Care planning service
As children and young people enter the care of Lambeth Social Services, they are eligible to receive a CLAMHS assessment to consider their mental health needs and care planning.
Referral for the CPS must be via receipt of a completed Application for Accommodation form (form CD09), faxed to CLAMHS within 1 month of the child entering care and indicating that the referral to CLAMHS has been agreed by the Business Manager.
2. Ongoing care service
This service is available to all children and young people looked after by Lambeth Social Services and living in Lambeth. The OCS can be accessed by Social Workers by completing a referral form.
For further information, you can view a copy of the CLAMHS Leaflet for Social Workers and other professionals, and a copy of the CLAMHS Leaflet for Parents, Carers and Young People.
If you would like to make a referral to our service, please download and print the referral form.
If you have concerns about a child who is placed outside Lambeth and have difficulty accessing local mental health services please contact our administrator for advice.
Other services
The team also provides training to Social Worker on request, and a clinician is available every day to have an initial conversation regarding any looked after child a Social Worker has concerns about.
Looked After Children placed outside Lambeth
With the exception of children being referred by Business Managers for the Care Planning Service, CLAMHS is not normally able to accept referrals for children who do not live in Lambeth. We provide an information leaflet about how to CLAMHS services for children placed outside Lambeth.
Children involved with the Youth Offending Team
If you have concerns regarding a child who is involved with Lambeth's Youth Offending Team (YOT), your first port of call should be the YOTs Health Team, which includes mental health professionals. Please talk to the child's YOT worker about accessing the YOT Health Team.
Children living in Lambeth who are not looked after
Children living in Lambeth who are not looked after should be referred to Children's Team if they are under 14 years of age (telephone 020 3228 6760 for a referral form), or the Adolescent Team if they are aged 14 years or over (telephone 020 3228 7370 for a referral form).