Good practice on CAMHS transformation group – Dudley

A local CAMHS Transformation Group has been established  by the Health and Wellbeing Board to drive forward whole system redesign and ensure services are sustainable, outcomes focused and effective.

Our vision by 2020:

  • Children and young people will enjoy a happy and fulfilling childhood.
  • Children and young people will be resilient and  manage their emotional health and wellbeing in their family, school and community
  • The most vulnerable children and young people will have access to the most appropriate range of services.

To achieve this vision, we will transform services to serve the needs of children, young people and their families on the basis of:

  • Collaborative working and participation;
  • Outcome monitoring as routine;
  • Evidence based practice.

We will commission evidence based services including a full range of appropriate therapies based on NICE guidance. Our range of services will be designed to:-

  • Privilege and promote early intervention;
  • Support resilience;
  • Facilitate prompt access to  specialist support and treatment.

Building on our achievements to date, additional resources  will allow us to accelerate the transformation of our local mental health and emotional wellbeing service offer over the next five years through the implementation of 7 key strategic priorities:

  1. Systematic and consistent application of Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (CY IAPT) principles;
  2. A single point of access to services;
  3. Integration of the current specialist 0-5 years provision within CAMHS with the Neurodevelopment Delay Service;
  4. Expand the existing school based Emotional Health and Wellbeing Team;
  5. Develop a CAMHS Tier 3+ service as part of our home treatment service;
  6. Commission a 0-18 year old Children and Young People’s Community Eating Disorder Service in partnership with Walsall CCG;
  7. Develop therapeutic pathways and provision for victims of child sexual exploitation.

Good Pracetice on Vulnerable Children

  1. Looked after Children and children with child sexual exploitation have needs which are unmet in Dudley. A task and finish group will be convened (made up of specialist CAMHS workers, primary mental health support workers and outreaching voluntary sector organisations) to develop the CSE/vulnerable children pathway.
  2. We will consider the feasibility of implementing personal budgets for Looked after Children (as encouraged by NHS England).
  3.  The task and finish group will also consider how well the needs of other more vulnerable children and young people are met in Dudley – particularly those underserved or overrepresented in the local population (BAME young people, LGBT young people, children at risk of or excluded from school, those with learning disabilities and with non-statemented SEN needs etc.
  4. We will consider the potential of the MCP and MDTs to support children and young people with the most complex long term physical health and co-existing social, neuro developmental and emotional conditions who require more integrated care.
  5. We will invest and integrate the CAU and 0-5 infant clinics.