This framework sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed by professionals delivering mental health support to children, young people, and families. It integrates developments since the original CAMHS framework (NHS Education for Scotland and UCL, 2011), which [even in its name - use of ‘CAMHS’, which is being replaced by CYPMH] is outdated; updating it to ensure integration of the principles of CYP-IAPT (NHS HEE, 2014), the NHS Long Term Plan commitments (NHS England), the THRIVE Model (Anna Freud and Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, 2014), as well as the latest guidance from NICE, CORC, and other specific relevant guidance such as updated guidance for all mental health practitioners Staying Safe from Suicide (NHS England, 2025).
This framework reflects the move away from a tiered service model towards a needs-led, person-centred approach, ensuring that children, young people and families receive the right help, in the right place, at the right time from a system that works together across health, education, social care and VCSE organisations.
Staff working in children’s services hold a vital responsibility: to offer care that is safe, ethical and effective. At the heart of this work is a commitment to building trust; with children, young people, families, colleagues, and partner agencies. That trust is fostered not only through what we do, but how we show up: with integrity, humility, and respect for the lived experiences of others. It calls on us to actively model the behaviours we want to see, collaboration, empathy, and accountability, while firmly challenging those that harm psychological safety, such as ignorance, exclusion, blame, bullying, and harassment.
Who is this framework for?
- All staff working in Children and Young People’s Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Services
- Practitioners supporting children and young people’s mental health
- Clinical and quality leads seeking assurance and evaluating and improving services
- Operational and Workforce leads seeking to review team capacity, plan training, induction and CPD
- Strategic System Management, Heads of Service, Commissioners and ICS leads designing services and ensuring alignment with national standards
Competency Development
Establishing and maintaining the competencies set out in this framework needs to be a continuous process. Staff will develop competencies through:
- Core/Professional Training
- Induction
- CPD and Training
- Supervision and Reflective Practice
Competency Self-Assessment Checklist for staff
The integrated self-assessment tool is to be used to enable ongoing development, it can be used to support an individual during: supervision, appraisal, job planning, induction, evaluation, or at service level by collating responses to enable workforce planning and review, or as part of governance and audit.
An editable version of the checklist only (not part of the whole competency framework) can be downloaded here.
For the full CYPMH Competency Framework please press 'download' below:
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