An evaluation of an innovative project designed to enhance child and adolescent mental health provision
| Pages | 4-13 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17556228200800016 |
| Published date | 01 September 2008 |
| Date | 01 September 2008 |
| Author | Steven Walker |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
4
An evaluation of an innovative project
designed to enhance child and
adolescent mental health provision
Abstract
This paper describes and discusses the evaluation of
an innovative child and adolescent mental health
project located in a large county in eastern England.
The project was one of eight located in the
voluntary sector and supported by the Mental
Health Foundation as part of a national initiative
aimed at responding in new, accessible ways to
young people requiring help for emotional and
mental health problems. Traditional specialist CAMH
services areoverwhelmed by demand while also
failing to engage many young people. This study
provides evidence of how new services can develop
to meet the needs of troubled young people in
appropriate and acceptable ways.
Key words
child and adolescent mental health; evaluation;
innovative; service development
Introduction
The increasing incidence and upward trends detected in
child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) problems
over the past 25 years nationally and internationally, have
caused concern among children and young people,
parents, carers, professionals and politicians (United
Nations, 1989; Singh et al,2000; WHO, 2001; ONS, 2007).
In the United Kingdom recent governments have focused
attention on this problem, commissioned research, and
begun to implement measures to provide a response to the
growing numbers of troubled children and young people
(House of Commons, 1997; NSF, 2004; DoH, 2007).
Evidence suggests that specialist CAMH services are
overwhelmed by demand resulting in treatment delays
and causing exacerbation of symptoms in children and
young people (Carr, 2000; Walker, 2005). This paper
details the development of one of the multidisciplinary
initiatives to spring from the policy designed to stimulate
innovative ideas in the field of early intervention and
relieve demand on the specialist CAMH services.
Background
The need to develop innovative child and adolescent
mental health services has attracted more attention in
recent years due to increased demands on specialist
resources by parents, teachers, and primaryhealth care
staff, attempting to meet the needs of children suffering
with emotional and behavioural problems, as well as their
carers/families. The evidence has suggested the need for
policy and practice changes to ensure a sufficient range of
provision and skills to improve the effectiveness and
efficiency of CAMHS (Audit Commission, 1999; Mental
Health Foundation, 2001, 2002; Walker, 2001a, 2003). In
addition, government initiatives such as the Every Child
Matters agenda (2003), the creation of the National Service
Framework for Children (2004), as well as the more recent
Children’s Plan (2007) have all emphasised the importance
of children and young people’s emotional well-being and
the need for everyone involved with children and young
people to address their mental health needs.
Thus, practice developments targeted at socially
excluded young people, looked after children, or those at
risk of drug and alcohol misuse, with an early
intervention/preventative focus are attracting more
interest. A new multidisciplinary,targeted service was
designed to operate at tier 2 of the four tier CAMHS
structure. Tier 2 services are characterised by a level of
service provided by uni-professional groups, which relate to
others through a network (rather than within a team). This
positioned the service to fill a gap in provision between the
primary tier 1 and specialist tier 3 levels (HAS, 1995).
Steven Walker
Programme Leader, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Anglia Ruskin University
The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 3 Issue 3 September 2008 © Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
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