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BALLS AND ALAN JOHNSON BOOST CHILD MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
18 November 2008Children’s mental health services will be radically improved by a package of measures including a National Advisory Council and the roll-out of extra support for children in schools, Children’s Secretary Ed Balls and Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced today. The findings of this independent review, which the Government commissioned in December 2007, sets out a clear vision for how children’s services and child and adolescent mental health services can be improved to more effectively address the mental health needs of children and young people.Responding to a key recommendation in the review, today we are establishing a new National Advisory Council on Children’s Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing. The Council will have a remit to ensure that the recommendations in the review are addressed and the Government is held to account on progress. The new body will be chaired by Jo Williams, former Chief Executive of Mencap. Vice-Chair will be Lesley Hewson, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Director of CAMHS, Bradford District Care Trust. In response to the CAMHS review’s challenging recommendations, Government is also today announcing:
• Roll out of the £20m phase two of the targeted mental health support pathfinder programme between 2009-11. There will also be £500,000 in extra funding for a number of existing authorities to develop work with their special schools and pupil referral units • Additional funding of £500,000to improve helpline support for parents/carers who are concerned about their children’s mental health• A national programme of support for local services, to help them deliver the vision set out in the report
Ed Balls said:“The CAHMS review sets out a clear vision of how we can intervene early where signs of severe mental health issues such as self harm indicate a mental health problem. Where there are early signs of severe behavioural problems, parents need to know who they can turn to and that everything will be done to support them. "The CAHMS review gives us a real opportunity to address some of the issues that children, young people and their families have told us really impact on their lives – better access to the support they need and want. Families need access to understandable information about what is available to them locally, and a service which is responsive to their needs.”Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: “We now have a comprehensive blueprint to improve services for young people with mental health problems. Services have come a long way, with funding increasing to £508 m in 2006/07, but there is still more to do. “The National Advisory Council will be the driving force for further change. Ed Balls and I have asked them for an update on progress in one year. I want to hear that services for children with mental health problems have improved dramatically in that time, along the lines recommended by today’s comprehensive report.”Jo Davidson, Chair of the Independent Review, said:“I am delighted today to be able to launch this important review of children’s mental health services. During the Review it was striking to note that what children, young people and their families want is often quite simple - greater awareness by people they come into contact with about mental health and how to address issues when they arise, consistent relationships, to be treated with dignity and respect, to be listened to and involved and to have continuity of service if their needs dictate regardless of whether they turn 18. “If the Review’s recommendations are fully addressed everyonewill recognise and have a good understanding of what they can do to promote resilience in children and young people and where they can go to get help and children’s serviceswill work effectively together to provide well integrated child- and family centred services to address mental health and psychological well-being needs.” The Chief Executive of Young Minds, Sarah Brennan, said: “We believe the Review has accurately identified the key issues that have to be tackled if progress is to be sustained and we made a number of highly significant recommendations. This report should be read carefully by everyone who works with children and young people."Key recommendations of the report were: - For all children, young people and their families to have access to high quality, timely and responsive mental health and psychological well-being services that span the full spectrum of needs- Effective transitional arrangements for young adults who are approaching 18 and who are being supported by CAMHS- For all local areas to set out a clear description of the services that are available locally for children, young people and their families which span the full spectrum of children’s mental health and psychological wellbeing needsAnd to support this:- A National Support Programme, that will support all areas to build on existing good practice and implement sustainable cultural change at national, regional and local levels
A copy of the full report, and Government response can be found at - http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/CAMHSreview/
Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'
The CAMHS Review was commissioned in December 2007. It was led by Chair Jo Davidson, Group Director of Children and Young People’s Services at Gloucestershire County Council. Dr Bob Jezzard, retired Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist was Vice Chair. The National Advisory Council on Children’s Psychological Mental Health and Wellbeing will have a remit to ensure: • promoting mental health and psychological well-being remains a national priority; • the recommendations in the Review are effectively addressed; and• the Government is held to account for its progress. The National Advisory Council will produce a one year on report on our progress in taking forward the Review’s recommendations. The review has set out a clear vision of how CAMHS should change in three–five years time as a result of the recommendations. • Our aim is that in three to five years time, through the implementation of the recommendations within this report, everyone will have a good understanding of: what mental health and psychological well-being is; how they can promote resilience in children and young people; and where they can go if they need more information and help.• Children’s mental health and psychological well-being services will be viewed and will work together as a single service organised around children, young people and their families. Staff working within these services will have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities as well as those of others. • Within universal services, staff will be trained to: provide effective promotion of mental health and psychological well-being; ensure effective early intervention for those children and young people experiencing difficulties; and where necessary have the knowledge and skills required to swiftly engage other more specialised professionals to work with children and young people with more significant needs. • Within specialist services, staff will have an appropriate range of skills and competences and will deliver support which is easy to access, readily available and based on the best evidence. The culmination of these improvements will result in better outcomes for children and young people, in terms of their mental health and psychological well-being.
Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
Press Notice 2008/0260
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