Publish date: 12 February 2026
West London NHS Trust is celebrating Children’s Mental Health Week this week (9-15 February) by shining a spotlight on its Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Youth Ambassadors - a group of trained young people using their lived experience to reshape the future of mental health support across West London.
Throughout the week, Youth Ambassadors have been delivering engaging, youth-led workshops in local schools in Ealing and Hounslow, helping children and young people learn about mental health in a way that feels relatable, safe and empowering.
The sessions taking place during Children’s Mental Health Week explore this year’s national theme, “This Is My Space”, and include activities designed to help pupils reflect on wellbeing, belonging and emotional safety
Each workshop will begin with a short presentation on mental health, helping young people build emotional literacy and confidence in talking about their wellbeing. Children will then be encouraged to explore the idea of a ‘safe space’ through writing or drawing, and join group discussions on belonging, inclusion and identity. The workshops are aimed at equipping children with the tools to explore their mental health in a safe, positive environment.
The Youth Ambassadors programme champions the needs and voices of children and young people accessing CAMHS. The Ambassadors are previous CAMHS service users themselves, giving them powerful insight into the challenges young people face and the changes that can make a meaningful difference.
Callum Savva, one of West London NHS Trust’s Youth Ambassadors, said: “Being a Youth Ambassador means I get to use my own experiences to help make mental health feel less scary for younger people. Delivering these workshops has shown me how much children want to talk about their feelings when they’re given the space and support to do it. If we can help even one young person feel more confident about their wellbeing, then it’s all worth it.”
Another Youth Ambassador within the Trust, Yassen Alsafi, added: “I love being a part of these workshops because they help young people see that taking care of our mental health is something we all have to do, and it’s okay to talk about it. When pupils realise they’re not alone in how they feel, you can see a huge weight lift off their shoulders. That’s why I wanted to be a Youth Ambassador - to make sure every young person knows their voice matters.”
Working alongside clinicians, service leads and community partners, the Ambassadors help to improve CAMHS service with their own lived experiences as previous service users. Their work ensures the voice of the child is heard at every level - from waiting rooms and clinical materials to Trust wide strategy, recruitment and service development.
Through coproduction of resources, the delivery of community outreach, workshops and forums, as well as their involvement in strategic service planning, the Youth Ambassadors have already made a huge impact on the delivery of CAMHS services. One of their initiatives, the ‘Service User Involvement’ (SUI) forum, has a growing and regular attendance. The forums are held monthly and invite service users to feed back on their experiences, which is then reported directly to services and used to influence and enact change. In 2025, the forums saw 68 attendees, all contributing to real change within the Trust’s services.
The Youth Ambassador programme has also been valuable for existing clinicians within the West London CAMHS services, with 81% of clinicians reporting as being very satisfied with the work they do, and very likely to work with them again. It is due to this success that the programme will be expanding, with four new Youth Ambassadors starting with the Trust at the end of February.
Sarika Ghai, CAMHS Service Manager, said: “Children’s Mental Health Week is a powerful reminder that young people are central to shaping the care we deliver. Our Youth Ambassadors bring lived experience and creativity that help us understand what truly makes a difference for children and young people. Their contribution across CAMHS has already transformed how we co-design and deliver support, making our services more inclusive and grounded in real experience.
"We’re delighted that the programme is continuing to grow, with four new Youth Ambassadors joining us soon. Their voices will further strengthen our commitment to making sure every young person feels heard, valued and empowered within West London CAMHS.”