CAMHS are specialist mental health services for children and adolescents up to the age of 18 years and their families. 

They provide priority access for: 

• Children, adolescents and families at highest risk for current or future impairment.
• People with the greatest need for specialist intensive and/or long-term mental  health interventions.
• People who have been exposed to multiple risk factors for mental health problems.

CAMHS services vary in each Area Health Service. Services provided include:

• Specialist community based services for children and adolescents and their families
• Specialist community based support for Children of Parents with a Mental Illness
• Specialist day programs for more intensive treatment
• Specialist acute and non-acute inpatient services for children and adolescents
• Specialist outreach services (e.g. telepsychiatry program to increase support in rural communities)
• Forensic services for adolescents whose mental health problems have led to interaction with the justice system.