ChAMPS

ChAMPS (Child and Adolescent Mobile Psychiatric Service) is an emergency response service for children, teenagers and adolescent adults who are having a mental health or behavioral health crisis.

About the Program

We are an emergency service that works in close partnership with hospitals and police to provide help for children living in D.C. facing a behavioral or mental health crisis. We come to your home or your child’s school the same day.

This service is provided at no cost to District residents and D.C. children in foster placement in Maryland. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for children ages six to 17. We also serve children ages 18 to 21 if they are in the care and custody of DC Child and Family Services Agency.

The service is designed to help children manage extreme emotional behavior and assist families so that the behavior does not result in a child leaving the home. We come to you — wherever you need immediate help — to assess the situation and determine the best course of action.

Our team will provide in-home assistance when appropriate or arrange temporary placement in a respite home or other emergency setting as needed. The team also will assess whether a child’s behavior poses a danger, requiring possible psychiatric inpatient hospitalization.

If your child is in a crisis, please call the crisis hotline at 202-481-1440.

Contact Information

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Volunteer

Each year, thousands of people volunteer with Catholic Charities. We hope you will be one of them.

Donate

Your gift will give those most at risk the opportunity to move from crisis to stability.

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