Tag Archives: ebd-subgroup

Southern Outcomes Group and Emotional Behavioural Difficulties (EBD) Regional Sub Group CAMHS & Youth Justice Agency Pilot

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CAMHS and the Youth Justice Agency (YJA) are working in partnership to review the mental health needs of children and adolescents (under 18) either known to, or potentially at risk of being involved with Youth Justice Services and CAMHS.  There is significant research available which indicates a high prevalence of emotional and mental health difficulties within the Youth Justice population. The research also highlights that despite this high level of need; young people known to Youth Justice Agencies face significant barriers to access mental health services.

As set out in the Southern Outcomes Group plan and being driven via the EBD Sub-Group, a pilot is being trialled within the Southern Health and Social Care Trust which aims to better meet the mental health needs of young people known to both services.  A Step 3 CAMHS Senior Mental Health Practitioner is co-located between community CAMHS clinics in the Southern Trust and the Youth Justice Agency Banbridge.  The Practitioner attends all YJA team meetings and offers consultation and/or training to YJA staff in relation to mental health.

Internal pathways have been developed to reduce barriers to access mental health services for young people open to the YJA.  Young people who are open to YJA are now screened for emotional and mental health difficulties using evidenced based tools and internal referrals from YJA to CAMHS can be made for either consultation for staff or direct face to face contacts for the young person.

The co-located Practitioner attends weekly multi-disciplinary team meetings within CAMHS and with consent, any young people known to YJA can be discussed within the CAMHS multi-disciplinary team.  

The pilot is still in its infancy, but feedback from young people, families and staff has been very positive to date.  Keep up to date on progress via the EBD Regional sub-group webpage https://cypsp.hscni.net/regional-subgroups/children-with-emotional-and-behavioural-difficulties

SHSCT ID CAMHS – giving hope by working for and with the Child

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The CYPSP Emotional Behavioural Difficulties (EBD) Group have shared a video of Children and young people who attend ID CAMHS, along with their parents, telling their journey to and with the ID CAMHS Team in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT):- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzIPi_iBT00

 

The SHSCT was the first in Northern Ireland to offer a fully comprehensive Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) that is fully inclusive of Children and Adolescents who have an Intellectual Disability. One in forty children and young people have an intellectual disability, which means they have difficulty understanding
information and learning the skills needed for everyday life.

Dr Heather Hanna, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in Intellectual Disability for the Southern Trust explains: “Children with an intellectual disability are four times more likely to develop a significant mental health, emotional or behavioural problem than the average child. However, until now there has been a lack of specialist services to help them overcome these challenges to allow them to flourish.

“We want children with an intellectual disability to have the same access to specialist therapeutic intervention when they experience mental health, emotional or behavioural difficulties, as every other young person. So, in response to national recommendations, we have broadened our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service to ensure we can now meet the needs of children and young people with Intellectual Disability.”

The Intellectual Disability (ID CAMHS) team is made up of a number of professionals – a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist who is Clinical Lead for the service, an Advanced Practitioner/Manager, ID CAMHS Practitioners, Senior Practitioners and Assistant Practitioners who have different areas of clinical expertise.

For more information on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in the Southern Trust go to http://www.younghealthymindsni.co.uk/