About CAMS-care UK
A structured, suicide-specific framework built on collaboration
CAMS (Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality) is a clinically proven framework designed to support professionals working with individuals experiencing suicidality.
It offers a structured, person-centred approach that helps clinicians understand and directly address the drivers behind someone’s suicidal thoughts or behaviours.
CAMS-care UK trains mental health professionals and organisations in the CAMS framework. We do not provide clinical services directly to individuals in crisis.
Start TrainingBook a training course
Internationally trusted
Developed by US psychologist Professor David A. Jobes, CAMS has over 30 years of clinical use and is backed by rigorous research, including multiple Randomised Controlled Trials.
The framework is used internationally and is being embedded across UK services through CAMS-care UK.
CoursesProfessor Zaffer Iqbal
The adoption of CAMS in the UK was advocated for by Professor Zaffer Iqbal, who recognised its value in strengthening suicide-specific care within the NHS and wider settings.
Meet the Team
Supporting CAMS Training
CAMS-care UK was established in 2021 as part of Navigo to support the safe and effective delivery of CAMS training across the UK and Ireland.
Its introduction was strongly championed by Professor Zaffer Iqbal, a Clinical Director of Psychological Services and Research and Suicidology Lead at Navigo, who recognised the need for a robust, suicide-specific approach in UK services.
His early advocacy – grounded in both frontline experience and clinical leadership – was instrumental in bringing the CAMS framework to UK attention.
CAMS-care UK and Navigo’s wider training programmes (including Respect Training, accredited in restraint reduction and trauma-informed crisis response) share a common ethos: prioritising dignity, safety, relational care, and the belief that high-quality services should be good enough for our own families.
Aligns with UK guidance
CAMS aligns with current NHS England and NICE guidance – including trauma-informed care, personalised safety planning, and multidisciplinary working.
The Case for CAMS
About CAMS
Navigo was among the first UK services to evaluate CAMS as a system of care, with preliminary data suggesting improvements in clinician confidence, service user experience, and outcomes.
CAMS-care UK now supports training and implementation in a wide range of settings, including the NHS, education, social care, and the voluntary sector. Our goal is to help services feel better equipped to respond to suicidality with clarity, compassion, and clinical confidence.
Case StudyGrounded in evidence
CAMS is supported by decades of research, showing reductions in suicidality and improved outcomes across multiple settings and populations.
Evidence and clinical research
Navigo
Navigo Health and Social Care CiC are an award-winning social enterprise that provides mental health services to the NHS and beyond. Navigo’s ethos is to ‘deliver services that we would be happy for our own family to use’.
They offer a range of mental health services, including acute and community facilities – as well as specialist support such as older adult’s inpatient services; rehabilitation and recovery; community mental health; and an outstanding specialist eating disorder facility.
Find Out More Find Out MoreHow CAMS works
How CAMS works
At its core, CAMS is about building a collaborative therapeutic alliance. Using the Suicide Status Form (SSF), clinicians and service users engage in a highly interactive assessment process to identify what is driving the suicidality, co-develop a plan that’s tailored and responsive and monitor risk over time.
CAMS supports reflective clinical practice. It provides a flexible structure that can sit within existing pathways – from community to crisis teams, forensic services to higher education – without requiring extensive upheaval.
The CAMS FrameworkWho CAMS training is for
CAMS is designed for professionals working with people experiencing suicidality including:
Mental health providers
- NHS mental health trusts
- Private and not-for-profit mental health services
- Individual clinicians and therapists in private practice
Services that may encounter people in crisis
- Police forces and paramedics
- Prisons and youth justice settings
- Veteran and victim support organisations
- University counselling and mental health teams
Organisations offering support
- Schools, colleges and safeguarding leads
- Housing associations and probation services
- Large employers, occupational health teams and trade unions
Common Questions
-
CAMS (Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality) is a suicide-specific clinical framework developed by Professor David A. Jobes. It is used to engage with individuals experiencing suicidal ideation or behaviours through a structured, collaborative process.
The adoption of CAMS in the UK was advocated for by Professor Zaffer Iqbal, who recognised its value in strengthening suicide-specific care within NHS and allied settings.
CAMS-care UK delivers training to help clinicians understand the underlying drivers of suicidality, and co-develop treatment and safety plans that are practical, individualised and evidence-based.
-
CAMS is not a standardised risk assessment or screening tool for suicidality. It is a therapeutic framework that supports an ongoing, collaborative conversation with the person in crisis.
Key differences include:
- A focus on the drivers of suicidality
- Use of the Suicide Status Form (SSF) to guide assessment, formulation and care planning
- Emphasis on clinical judgement, therapeutic alliance and shared understanding
- Adaptability across a wide range of settings and professions – including those without psychology-specific training
