The Child and Adolescent Multi-Disciplinary Psychological Services (CHAMPS) are a group of teams who provide targeted specialist psychological support to children and young people who are either open to children’s social care and/or cared for by the local authority and require psychological support.
The CHAMPS deliver in four areas:
CAMHS Permanency Service (CAMHS PS)
CAMHS PS is a specialist team of mental health professionals who work with children and young people up to the age of 18 who:
- are looked after children and have a care order (S31 or S20) and have a plan for permanence in foster care or in a residential placement in West Sussex
- live with their carers under special guardianship order (SGO) and have not been in care (for example, do not qualify for the Adoption Support Fund).
Referrals to CAMHS PS come via the multiagency Therapeutic Access Panel (TAP).
For further information please email: CAMHSPSadmin@westsussex.gov.uk.
Emotional wellbeing support for unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC)
The CHAMPS UASC is a very small team offering consultation assessment and time-limited support (six sessions) to unaccompanied minors in West Sussex.
Referrals for support come from the young person’s social worker.
For further information please email: UASCCHAMPS@westsussex.gov.uk.
Consultation, Assessment and Treatment Service (CATS)
CATS is a specialist psychological service in West Sussex working with children and young people up to the age of 18 who have engaged in, or are alleged to have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour.
CATS offer consultation, specialist psychological assessment and therapeutic intervention.
Referrals should follow a strategy discussion and be made by the allocated social worker.
For further information please email: CATS@westsussex.gov.uk.
CHAMPS Clinical Psychologists working into children’s social care in West Sussex
The CHAMPS child and family Psychologists specialise in working with families where there are safeguarding concerns. The psychologists work with children’s social care, offering consultation and reflective practice support to social workers and child and family workers in the Assessment and Intervention and Family Safeguarding teams.