5.1 It has been challenging for CAMHS to ensure the participation of children and young people and their families at all levels of service provision. It is clear that a variety of creative approaches are needed to improve participation and user involvement. Ways in which children and young people can participate can be found in Building a Culture of Participation 4. See Standards 3 and 4
The views of service users are systematically sought and incorporated into reviews of service provision. Service providers and commissioners develop proposals for user involvement, ranging from consultation to participation of children and young people and their parents or carers. The DfES-funded Healthy Care Programme (5) provides guidance on the effective participation of looked-after children. Clinical audit includes user's views in relation to individual outcomes and service provision. |
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Enhancing Partnerships with Black and Minority Ethnic Groups
5.2 The mental health needs of minority communities are currently not being specifically met within many mainstream services, although there are aspirations to do so. There are, however, good examples of services that have been created to engage and address their needs (6).
5.3 Concepts of mental illness and the understanding of the origins of children's emotional and behavioural difficulties vary across cultures. Services need to be sensitive to these differences and ensure that staff are equipped with the knowledge to work effectively with the different groups represented within the community they serve.
5.4 The experiences of those families who are refugees or are seeking asylum, particularly those from war torn countries, have often been highly traumatic. The provision of effective mental health care can be extremely challenging, especially if there are language barriers. For localities with a significant population of such families, specific arrangements may need to be made to provide appropriate mental health care for the children and young people within these families. (7)
The needs of specific black and minority ethnic groups within each community are represented in the local CAMHS needs assessment. Primary Care Trusts and Local Authorities ensure that local directories of services for minority groups are available, to enable these children, young people and their families to receive appropriate support. All staff working within CAMHS are sensitive to the particular needs of children and young people from different black and minority ethnic groups. Training is available for staff to work effectively with families from specific black and minority ethnic groups within their community. Services aim to recruit and train professionals from the ethnic minorities for whom services are being provided, and review the provision and training of interpreters to ensure that best practice is achieved. |
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