The CAMS Framework
How the CAMS Framework® works in clinical practice
The CAMS (Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality) framework is a structured, suicide-specific intervention that supports clinicians in collaboratively assessing, formulating, and planning care.
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Proven to resolve suicidal ideation in as few as 6 sessions
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, monitor risk over time, and co-develop a plan that is tailored and responsive.
CAMS is adaptable to the context of care — whether it is used in talking therapies, inpatient, crisis, forensic, community services or higher education — and can be embedded within existing clinical pathways and settings where professionals may not specialise in suicide prevention but are regularly working with individuals at risk.
Developed by Professor David A. Jobes, CAMS has been refined through over 30 years of clinical use and is supported by a growing body of international research. It is not a diagnostic model or a general mental health approach – it is focused on suicide-specific care.
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The Suicide Status Form (SSF)
CAMS is anchored by a core clinical tool: the Suicide Status Form (SSF). This document is used collaboratively, with the clinician and service user completing it together across multiple sessions.
Professionals and individuals collaboratively complete the form, identifying, planning for, and treating suicidal risk through various quantitative and qualitative assessments. This comprehensive form serves as the clinical documentation supporting professional accountability.
View the trainingView the trainingClinical impact
Across multiple randomised controlled trials and clinical studies, CAMS has been shown to:
- Reduce suicidal ideation within 6 to 8 sessions
- Improve clinical engagement and retention
- Reduce distress, hopelessness and depressive symptoms
- Decrease emergency (A&E) presentations in certain groups
- Help clinicians feel more confident in their assessments and care plans
- Be well received by service users who often report feeling more heard, respected and supported
A robust structure
CAMS provides a practical and clinically robust structure for working with suicidality – whether as a standalone intervention or embedded within broader care.
It offers a structured, person-centred approach that helps clinicians understand and directly address the drivers behind someone’s suicidal thoughts or behaviours.
The CAMS Framework® reflects the priorities outlined in Staying Safe from Suicide (NHS England, 2025), including personalised safety planning, relational care, and confident, transparent clinical decision-making.
Benefits of the CAMS Framework
Empirically-Validated Treatment
Cost-Effective Care
Flexible Approach
Easy & Affordable Training
Reduced Malpractice Risk
Shared Understanding
Apply the framework
Whether you’re exploring suicide-specific care for the first time or reviewing your current approach, we’re happy to discuss how CAMS might support your team or service.
Contact CAMSCommon Questions
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Yes. CAMS can be integrated into services that use other models such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It works as a suicide-specific enhancement to general care pathways and supports safer, more targeted engagement with individuals experiencing suicidal ideation.
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Yes. CAMS is fully aligned with NICE suicide prevention guidance, as well as NHS England’s 2025 Staying Safe from Suicide guidance. Both emphasise:
- Person-centred care
- Collaborative, dynamic safety planning
- Avoiding reliance on static risk prediction
- Building therapeutic alliance to support engagement and recovery
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CAMS is used across NHS, third sector, education and private settings by a wide range of professionals, including:
- Mental health nurses
- Psychologists
- Social workers
- Student counsellors
- Psychotherapists
- Support workers
- Multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs)
It is suitable for both specialist and non-specialist services working with individuals experiencing suicidality.
Practical applications in your setting
CAMS can be implemented in many settings, including talking therapies, inpatient and crisis care, secure and forensic settings, and higher education and university counselling services.
CAMS is designed to complement, not replace, clinical judgement. It enhances decision-making by offering a reliable process that is collaborative, documented, and clinically sound.
