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Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS and ICAFS)

Sometimes children and young people can benefit from specialised input by mental health professionals.

Our service can assess whether your child’s problems indicate a moderate to severe mental health issue. If we believe such mental health issues are not present, we can refer your child to a service that will provide more appropriate help.

Alternatively we may recommend some activities or exercises that you and your child can carry out at home, which may mean professional help is not required, at least initially.

Who our service is for

Our service is for children aged from newborn to 18 years old.

How to access our service

A referral can be made by a child or young person, their parents or caregivers, a GP, or the child’s or young person’s school.

We offer services in  

  • Wellington 
  • Porirua 
  • Kāpiti 
  • Hutt Valley 
  • Wairarapa. 

We encourage you first to talk to your GP or other healthcare provider about your mental health as a first step to getting support. Most mental health and addiction difficulties can be treated successfully in primary care. However, your doctor can refer you to us if you need specialist mental health or addiction treatment.  

If you need more information, please contact the service directly between 8am and 4.30pm. See 'How to contact us' for more information.  

What you can expect if you use our service

If we assess that CAMHS might be the right service to help, we invite you and your child along to a first appointment. At this appointment we will talk with you, your child and (if possible) your family or other people who know them well to clarify what has been happening. It's likely we will ask you questions about how your family works and how your child functions within your family.

Where younger children are involved we always meet with parents and caregivers and we also often talk to their school or preschool (with permission) to get a more complete picture.

If we believe your child may have a moderate to severe mental health issue and we are the best service to help, we will then offer you an appointment with a case manager to follow on from the work done at the first appointment. 

We use our expertise and provide space to think together about what has been happening and how your child’s needs can best be met.

It may help to remember that getting help is one of the steps towards making things better.

Treatments and care we provide

We have a range of professionals with the skills needed to assess, treat and provide ongoing evaluation of children, young people and their whānau.

They work together as a team and include:

  • family therapists
  • occupational therapists
  • psychiatrists
  • psychologists
  • mental health nurses
  • social workers
  • psychotherapists
  • employment and study specialists.

Please note not every service has the same range of professionals. The lists above refers to all of our child and adolescent mental health services, combined.

It’s likely we will ask you questions about your family’s dynamics and how your child functions within your family.

How to contact us

Location

Phone

Address

Wellington

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)

04 806 0002 or

0800 426 522

21 Hania Street (Te Whare Tipu), Wellington.
Porirua

04 381 1660 or 

0800 PCAMHS (0800 722 647)

Level 3, BNZ Tower, 14 Hartham Place Porirua
Kāpiti CAMHS04 903 0260 or
0800 300 058
Kāpiti Health Centre, Warrimoo Street, Paraparaumu

Wairarapa CAMHS

Te Ratonga Aranga Mokopuna Arangi (TE R.A.M.A)

06 946 9808 or 05 0843 2432 Level 2, 49-51 Lincoln Road, Masterton

Hutt

Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Service (ICAFS)

04 570 9600Nikau Centre

Hutt Hospital

622 High Street

Last updated 25 March 2024.