PHOTOS: New CAMHS home 'a warm and welcoming environment'

Monday, 21 September 2026 08:00

By Harry Booth

Jersey's Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service has officially opened the doors of its new home at Bermuda House.

The service was based at Liberté House on La Motte Street, but it moved into Bermuda House on Green Street in July.

An open afternoon, held last week, was a chance for islanders to see the new centre, meet staff, and learn more about the support available for children, young people, and families.

The new base is described as 'modern, robust, and fit-for-purpose', and is intended to strengthen the service's ability to meet increasing demand while improving the experience of children, young people, families and staff.

The design of the building was influenced by young people's feedback.

There are 17 spacious clinical rooms, designed to support high‑quality, confidential care.

Darren Bowring, Associate Director of Mental Health and Wellbeing, said:

"CAMHS has now had three inspections by the Jersey Care Commission, and we've had lots of feedback from children and young people when we were at Liberté (House), and a lot of the feedback that we've got in terms of having an alternative location, that has multiple different waiting rooms, is more discreet for people to come to, and is easily accessible.

"A lot of children and young people fed back than when we were based at Liberte, it's on the walk routes for a number of different schools. We just had one waiting room where everybody was contained together.

"In this new building, we have three individual waiting areas. We're looking for a bit more of a discreet outside space where people can wait outside as well, and we're thinking about nature and some sensory elements we can have in the garden.

"We've got Green Street car park behind us and we've got a bus stop just outside, so it's accessible for everybody, but it's also a little bit discreet for people coming in to their appointments."

The Bermuda House base was officially opened by Deputy Malcolm Ferey, the Assistant Minister for Children and Families.

Deputy Ferey said:

"(For) Children and young people who need assistance at any time in their lives, it's really important that they have the right environment to get the help and support they need.

"What this whole setup shows is that it's a warm, welcoming environment. It doesn't feel clinical, it doesn't feel office-like, it almost feels like a big old house, where children and young people are going to get the support that they need."

CAMHS caseload has more than doubled since 2020, with around 2,000 service users. That is significantly more than comparable UK services.

In 2024, an increase in demand for ADHD and autism assessments pushed the average waiting time to over a year.

The service's team has increased to 88 members of staff, compared to 21 positions in 2021. The service has annual budget of around £7m.