Mental Health Ambassadors Visit Acton Primary

Event at St. Vincent's aims to help children talk about their own wellbeing

The young ambassadors outside the school . Picture: CAMHS

February 10, 2026

St Vincent’s Catholic Primary School hosted the first in a series of workshops led by young people who are helping reshape mental health support across West London. The session, taking place on Tuesday morning (10 February), marks the start of a week‑long programme delivered by West London NHS Trust’s CAMHS Youth Ambassadors as part of Children’s Mental Health Week

The initiative places young people with lived experience of mental health services at the heart of Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Throughout the week, the Youth Ambassadors will visit primary and secondary schools across several boroughs, offering pupils the chance to learn about mental health directly from those who have navigated CAMHS themselves. Their workshops aim to reduce stigma, build understanding and encourage children and young people to speak openly about their wellbeing.

The Ambassadors are a trained group of young people who work alongside clinicians and service leads to ensure that the voices of children and teenagers shape the support they receive. Drawing on their own experiences, they help influence and redesign CAMHS services, making them more responsive, accessible and relevant to the needs of young people today.

Their work extends far beyond the classroom. The Ambassadors contribute to leaflets, posters and webinars, support community outreach, attend strategic meetings and co‑facilitate forums across services. Their involvement ensures that the perspective of children and young people is embedded at every level of planning and delivery.

Children’s Mental Health Week, which takes place nationally each February, was launched by the charity Place2Be in 2015 to highlight the importance of mental wellbeing among children and young people. The week encourages schools, families and communities to create supportive environments where children feel able to express themselves, seek help and understand that mental health is just as important as physical health. Each year focuses on a different theme, but the core aim remains the same: to give children the tools and confidence to talk about how they feel and to recognise when they need support.

The ambassadors talk to the children in the classroom. Picture: CAMHS

By beginning the week in Acton, West London NHS Trust hopes to shine a spotlight on the positive impact young people can have when they are empowered to shape the services designed for them. The Trust says the Youth Ambassadors’ involvement is helping to build a more open, informed and compassionate approach to mental health across the region.