The Primary Mental Health Team at Wirral CAMHS uses a training and consultation model to work with all schools locally (150 primary, secondary, specialist and independent schools) and several voluntary sector and targeted services agencies, to support children and young people’s mental health.
The Primary Mental Health Team at Wirral CAMHS uses a training and consultation model to work with all schools locally (150 primary, secondary, specialist and independent schools) and several voluntary sector and targeted services agencies, to support children and young people’s mental health.
Access
The Primary Mental Health Team provides consultation via a 9 to 5 Monday to Friday Advice and Duty Telephone Line. They also have a named CAMHS primary mental health worker allocated to each school in the area, with a corresponding named emotional – well-being link identified in each school. The service also offers signposting and use of self-help resources, including web-based tools through MyMind.
Multiagency working and collaboration
The Primary Mental Health service works with local schools and voluntary sector agencies. The service has moved from direct referrals for brief and low level primary mental health work to a focus on supporting local agencies working with children and young people to be able to better identify and intervene in emotional mental health and wellbeing problems. They offer a rolling training programme including Mental Health First Aid, peer education and training and support for schools to deliver mindfulness programmes. The service facilitates training for the local children and young people’s workforce using the ‘Next Step’ tool, a co-created tool for conversations with young people about their mental health, used to help set goals and facilitate shared decision making.
Co-production and participation
All training materials and communications (brochures, letter templates, online resources), as well as training, are approved by, and at times co-created, or delivered with the assistance of children and young people and professionals from partner agencies.
Outcome monitoring
Training and consultation is evaluated via satisfaction survey, however, the Primary Mental Health Team are working with the local Future in Mind Steering group to implement outcomes monitoring across the local area to identify the broader impact of the project on young peoples well-being on Wirral. This is likely to utilise Goal-based outcomes along with other specific well-being measures.
Future developments
Plans to develop the service further in the next five years include:
What makes this service an example of positive practice?
The Primary Mental Health service is underpinned by current policies, models and thinking, such as the Thrive Model (centred in the ‘Coping’ quadrant), and by Future in Mind. The service also uses LEAN processes and deliver using the CAPA (Choice and Partnership Approach) model. The service also aims to meet the challenge of the current crisis in CAMHS head on through transformative processes, and embedding children and young people’s involvement as a part of their service culture.
Further details
| Commissioning | Wirral CCG | ||||||||||
| Providers | Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||||
| Workforce (whole time equivalent) | 0.6 Clinical psychologist (8b), 6 trained therapist/counsellors (band 5 & 6), 1 Admin (band 3), 1 manager (band 6) and 1 assistant psychologist (band 4) | ||||||||||
| Population size | All ages – 321238, under 18 – 67629 (Office of National Statistics 2016 mid-year population estimates for Wirral) | ||||||||||
| Caseload | 150 schools are covered. Since October 2016 training has been delivered to 276 Wirral Education staff. with a further 250 booked in for next academic year. 825 telephone consultations were completed between October 2016 and June 2017. | ||||||||||
| Prevention and resilience – universal and early intervention for at risk | |||||
| Access and advice – consultation lines, triage and signposting | |||||
| Early support and brief interventions | |||||
| Biopsychosocial assessment |
