Kent & Medway Complex Autism Service
KAMCAS
Kent and Medway Complex Autism Service, known as KAMCAS, is a tertiary specialist service commissioned to support adults with complex presentations and a confirmed diagnosis of autism where other professionals within the mental health and the care system are unable to meet the person’s needs effectively.
We provide consultation and a variety of direct autism-adapted interventions that are not available from primary or secondary services.
Our primary aim is to support clients and professionals in preventing admissions or re-admissions to secure settings, e.g. mental health hospitals or the criminal justice system.
In 2018, Sinclair-Strong Consultants were commissioned to provide the Kent and Medway Complex Autism Service and has since been working in collaboration with a range of agencies across Kent and Medway to support community independence for adults with autism and other co-existing diagnoses, for whom secondary services have exhausted their resources in offering support and are therefore seeking autism expertise that goes beyond what they can offer.
We aim to provide a person-centred approach through our team of experienced and autism-trained:
- Clinical Psychologists
- Forensic Psychologists
- Assistant Psychologists
- Occupational Therapists
- Speech and Language Therapist
- Positive Behavioural Support Practitioners
- Case Manager
We will assess the needs of the person referred and interventions will be offered by the appropriate discipline(s).
Referrals to KAMCAS must come from secondary care services, e.g. adult social care, or community mental health teams. We are unable to accept referrals from primary services such as GPs, acute hospital settings, or an individual.
To ensure the effectiveness and long-term maintenance of the intervention(s) and to minimise the risks that our client group often presents with, we require referred adults to remain open to a secondary team(s) for the duration of KAMCAS involvement.
KAMCAS has its main office in Kings Hill. Appointments can be offered at the offices, online and in community settings, including homes, supported living placements and residential settings.
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Kent & Medway Complex Autism Service Out of Hours
KAMCAS OOH
Kent and Medway Complex Autism Service Out of Hours (KAMCAS OOH) is an extension to the KAMCAS weekday service, offering support during the evening and at weekends to clients open to KAMCAS.
We provide telephone call back from a member of the KAMCAS team who will be familiar with pre-agreed crisis plans or the coping strategies you have planned with your clinician. We will listen to you, to understand what you are experiencing, before supporting you to remember and use your coping strategies or crisis plan. If necessary, we can also advise you who else to contact.
We use a call-back system and aim to return a call within a maximum of 2 hours. Lines are open between 17:00 and 22:00 Monday to Friday and 14:30 and 22:00 weekends and bank holidays.
Our primary aim is to support clients in preventing admissions to secure settings, e.g. mental health hospitals or the criminal justice system where possible. In specific, pre-agreed circumstances, we can provide advice and redirection to professionals or family members supporting KAMCAS clients.
In 2020, KAMCAS OOH was introduced to provide consultation to professionals working with autistic adults who were experiencing crisis during the evening or at the weekend. Its main objective was to help prevent admissions to restrictive, institutional or specialist residential environments where possible. The service has been regularly reviewed and adapted, as we recognise the difficulties clients with a diagnosis of autism can have when accessing crisis lines.
Mental Health OOH services are available to all people experiencing mental health or psychological needs:
111 and select Mental Health option (2)
Mental Health Matters – 0800 107 0160
Shout text support service – text SHOUT to 85258