About Us

“The Partnership will bring together a diverse range of experts to answer the challenging and multi-faceted clinical questions that matter most to our patients, spanning across medicine, psychology, neuroscience and social sciences.”

Professor Emily Simonoff, Interim Director of the King’s Maudsley Partnership

Who we are

The King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People will transform our understanding and treatment of young people’s mental health through a unique collaboration between specialist clinicians from the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and leading academics at King’s College London.

Our experts lead the world in approaches to mental health. Together, we host the largest group of mental health scientists and clinical academics in Europe – there is no other collaboration in the world with this breadth of skills and ambition. Through this unique partnership, clinicians and researchers will collaborate even more closely to find new ways to predict, prevent and treat mental health disorders. This will benefit children locally, nationally and across the globe.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust provides the widest range of children’s mental health services in Europe. We serve a local population of 1.3 million people in south London and already provide more than 20 national specialist services for children and young people from across the UK, including perinatal services, eating disorders, autism, trauma, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder, as well as inpatient and community services across south east London.  

The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London is a leading centre for psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience research in Europe. We produce more highly cited outputs (top 1%) on psychiatry and mental health than any other centre (SciVal 2021) and have risen from 16th (2014) to 4th (2021) in the world for highly cited neuroscience outputs. Our world-leading research have made, and continue to make, an impact on how we understand, prevent and treat mental illness and other conditions that affect the brain.

Maudsley Charity supports, connects and champions projects, services and the people working in mental health who give those most affected by mental illness the best chance to recover and fulfil their potential. Working alongside South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the IoPPN at King’s College London, we bring together researchers, frontline clinicians, service users, their families and a wide range of voluntary and community organisations to prevent mental illness, improve care and support recovery.

Partnering for better mental health

The King’s Maudsley Partnership was created in response to the increasing demand for mental health support for children and young people, a concern shared by families, schools, and communities. Since the pandemic, we have seen a 30 per cent increase in referrals for children and young people’s mental health at the Maudsley Hospital.

With growing awareness of these challenges, it is more important than ever to find new and effective ways to support children and young people. We are at a rare moment where research and major scientific developments are on the cusp of making a transformational difference to children’s mental health – from the development of new drug-free treatments to digital interventions to prevent, manage and treat poor mental health.

While we work toward future solutions, the Partnership is also focused on meeting the immediate needs of children, young people, and their families. By using the latest evidence and innovations, we aim to support clinical teams in delivering the best possible care, improving both the quality and efficiency of mental health services, and translating research into practical treatments to benefit young people in the shortest possible time, when the need has never been greater.

Our Mission

  1. Advancing new discoveries in children and young people’s mental health

At the heart of our work is the drive to discover new and better ways to support the mental health of our young people. Our dedicated research facility at the Pears Maudsley Centre will focus on finding answers to critical questions about mental health, ensuring that everyone, especially underrepresented communities, benefit from these breakthroughs. We are committed to involving families, patients, and communities in shaping this research so the discoveries we make can lead to real in improvements in mental health care for all.        

  1. Expanding prevention and early intervention

We believe that early support is key to preventing mental health problems from escalating. By focusing on evidence-based prevention programs, we aim to offer more children and young people the help they need before issues become more serious. Our goal is to create partnerships that will widen access to proven prevention strategies, especially in schools and local communities, ensuring children get the support they need as early as possible.

  1. Improving access to effective treatments

We know that many young people struggle to access mental health services when they need them. Our goal is to improve this by developing and implementing new, evidence-based treatments. We are also exploring the use of digital therapies to make accessing care easier and more effective. By finding innovate ways to deliver treatment, we aim to ensure that more young people can receive the right support at the right time.

  1. Reducing inequalities in mental health care

We are deeply committed to making sure that all children and young people, no matter their background, have equal access to quality mental health care. We recognise that some groups like neurodiverse young people, young people from Black, Asian and other global majority communities and those in care often face barriers in accessing support. Addressing these inequalities is a key priority for our Partnership as we work to understand these challenges better and developed target solutions to ensure everyone had a fair chance to receive the care they need.

  1. Expanding our impact nationally and globally

Our work has already made a significant difference in the mental health care of children and young people, both locally and nationally. By sharing our innovations and expertise more widely, we aim to improve mental health services not only across the UK but around the world. Through expanded training, education, and strong partnerships, we are committed to spreading the best practices that can benefit children and families, wherever they may be.

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